Sue Gray report criticises lockdown parties

A long-awaited for report into the parties that happened in No. 10 Downing Street and other government spaces during the pandemic has been released.

The report, written by senior civil servant Sue Gray, was very critical of the parties that were held throughout the pandemic, calling the behaviour at the gatherings "difficult to justify".

And on Monday afternoon, it was also confirmed that the Metropolitan Police are investigating 12 events on eight separate days.

The Prime Minister, who requested the investigation into the parties in December 2021, shared his reaction to its findings just hours after it was published on the UK government's website.

He said, "I want to say sorry - and I'm sorry for the things we simply didn't get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the British people believe Mr Johnson should "do the decent thing and resign" but he is "a man without shame".

In her report, Sue Gray apologises for not giving more details about the parties, saying she is "extremely limited in what I can say about those events" because of the Met Police's investigation.

As a result, she said it was "not possible at present to provide a meaningful report".

What was the report investigating?

No. 10 Downing Street is the headquarters of the UK's government, and many people work there but there is also a flat separate to the offices where the Prime Minister and their family live.

The report investigated 16 parties that took place from May 2020 through to April 2021.

All of these events took place during different stages of lockdown when there were restrictions in place to limit the number of people allowed to gather both outside and indoors for safety.

Sue Gray and a team of senior civil servants - people who work for the government but who were not connected to the parties in question - investigated the known gatherings over a number of weeks.

They interviewed more than 70 people, as well as studying texts, photos and emails among other evidence.

And the result is this report, which was first requested by the Prime Minister back in December, to let the country know what was found out during the investigation.

What did the report find?

The report is very critical of the way No. 10 Downing Street has been run.

It found that "too little thought given to what was happening across the country" and "the risks [the parties] presented to public health".

"Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did." the report's author, Sue Gray wrote.

She also criticised staff for drinking lots of alcohol at work, and said this was "not appropriate... at any time".

The No 10 Downing Street office organisation also came under fire for being "complicated", saying this issue should be corrected urgently.

But Sue Gray has been limited in what she can share because of another investigation into the parties by the Metropolitan Police.

The Metropolitan Police say that Sue Gray cannot share everything she knows in her report, as it might make their investigation more difficult.

Despite this, Sue Gray has set out a number of criticisms and recommendations for No. 10 Downing Street and government departments.

What did the prime minister say?

The Prime Minister leaving Downing Street on Monday to speak to the House of Commons

Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised in a statement to MPs on Monday afternoon, just hours after the report was released.

He said he accepted the findings of Sue Gray's report, and promised to change the way that No 10 and the Cabinet Office is run.

"I get it, and I will fix it. I want to say to the people of this country I know what the issue is." he told the House of Commons.

He also said he would review the rules that employees of the government have to follow, to see if they could be improved.

What's the reaction been?

Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, encouraged Mr Johnson to resign

Leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, called the Prime Minister "a man without shame" and said he should "do the decent thing and resign".

"To govern this country is an honour, not a birthright. It's an act of service to the British people, not the keys to a court to parade to your friends," he said in response to the Prime Minister's apology.

And former Prime Minister Theresa May, a member of Mr Johnson's Conservative party, was critical of No. 10's behaviour, asking whether the Prime Minister had "not read the rules or didn't understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn't think the rules applied to Number 10."

"Which was it?" she asked.

Former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell told MPs that the prime minister no longer has his support.

Conservative MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin, supported the Prime Minister in his decision to restructure the Downing Street office

But some of the prime minister's party spoke in support of him.

Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin praised Mr Johnson's promise of a "slimmed down and streamlined" Downing Street office in response to the report.

Later today, the Prime Minister will meet with a group of Conservative MPs, called the 1922 Committee.

This committee has a special job; to request an election of a new Conservative leader.

But they can only request this if 54 Conservative MPs write to them, saying they no longer support Mr Johnson as leader of the Conservative party.

What happens next?

Twelve of the Downing Street parties are now under investigation by the Metropolitan Police

The prime minister has said that he will reveal more information in the next few days about changes to how No 10 is run.

And he encouraged people to wait until the conclusion of the Met Police's enquiries into the parties.

Downing Street has said that an updated report on the lockdown parties in No 10 will be published by Sue Gray once police finish their investigation, although we don't yet know how long that will take.