Sue Gray takes aim at Met Police for stopping her provide a ‘meaningful report’ on Partygate
What ARE the Met Police playing at? Sue Gray takes aim at Scotland Yard for preventing a ‘meaningful report’ on Partygate being released – after force is handed 300 photos and 500 pages of information compiled by her team
Sue Gray took aim at the Metropolitan Police yesterday for preventing her from providing a ‘meaningful report’ on parties at Downing StreetShe revealed that she and her Cabinet Office team had interviewed more than 70 individuals for her inquiry into the lockdown-busting eventsThe civil servant collected more than 300 images and more than 500 pages of information that she has handed to Scotland Yard
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Sue Gray took aim at the Metropolitan Police yesterday for preventing her from providing a ‘meaningful report’ on parties at Downing Street.
She revealed that she and her Cabinet Office team had interviewed more than 70 individuals for her inquiry into the lockdown-busting events.
After examining emails, WhatsApp messages and texts of No 10 staff, she collected more than 300 images and more than 500 pages of information that she has handed to the Metropolitan Police.
Sue Gray (pictured) took aim at the Metropolitan Police yesterday for preventing her from providing a ‘meaningful report’ on parties at Downing Street
Boris Johnson speaking during a statement following an update on a report by Sue Gray in to parties at Downing Street during Covid-19 lockdowns, in the House of Commons on January 31
But she was forced to publish a radically scaled-down version of her report into what happened after Scotland Yard asked her to make only ‘minimal reference’ to the gatherings that it, too, is investigating.
Miss Gray insisted her 12-page document – which does not include any details or names – should be referred to as an ‘update’ rather than her complete report.
In it, she said it was ‘not possible at present to provide a meaningful report’ setting out all she discovered.
Boris Johnson said ‘sorry’ in the Commons today after being hit with damning revelations in the Sue Gray report
The top civil servant’s findings (right) have been released disclosing that police are now investigating eight bashed as potentially criminal lockdown breaches. They include a gathering in the Cabinet Room for Mr Johnson’s 56th birthday in June 2020, said to have been organised by wife Carrie (left)
She wrote: ‘As a result of the Metropolitan Police’s investigations, and so as not to prejudice the police investigative process, they have told me that it would only be appropriate to make minimal reference to the gatherings on the dates they are investigating.
‘Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather.’
The Mail understands she has drafted a longer report setting out what happened at each party, ready to be dusted off once the police investigation finishes.
Sue Gray has finally delivered her findings on Partygate to the PM – but made clear she wants to release more information after the police probe completes
In a brutal intervention, Theresa May (left) also said Mr Johnson either ‘didn’t read the rules’ or thought they ‘didn’t apply’ to No10. ‘Which is it?’ she demanded. Keir Starmer (right) shot back that it is now clear Mr Johnson himself is under criminal investigation, branding him a ‘man with no shame’
Behind closed doors yesterday, she made her firm desire that her findings see the light of day clear to No 10 after it was suggested that they may not.
Scotland Yard said it was ‘necessary’ to contact those involved in the alleged parties to get their account – and that it was vital that evidence about these events was ‘not disclosed in detail’ in advance.
Insisting this was a ‘standard approach’, a spokesman added: ‘This request only applies for the duration of our investigation and does not apply to events we are not investigating.
Mr Johnson arriving back at Downing Street yesterday after spending the weekend at his Chequers residence
There are fledgling signs of a Tory recovery in the polls – although the Conservatives are still trailing Labour
The reason this request is necessary is that in any investigation officers seek independent accounts from each individual, as free from the influence of others’ recollections as possible.
‘Officers would also avoid providing details of their investigation in advance to those they contact so individuals are not tempted to shape their accounts according to what is in the public domain.’
Since Mr Johnson ordered the Cabinet Office inquiry into Whitehall lockdown breaches seven weeks ago, No 10 has repeatedly vowed to publish a full report.
But yesterday, the Prime Minister initially refused to commit to this after Scotland Yard has concluded its probe.
Downing Street suggested the public may not even be told if Mr Johnson is fined for breaching lockdown.
However, following a backbench backlash, the PM retreated and promised the full report would be made public.
In the Commons yesterday, he had failed to commit to this, telling MPs: ‘What we’ve got to do is wait for the police to conclude their inquiries.
‘At that stage I will take a decision about what to publish.’
Tory former minister Tobias Ellwood warned that if the PM did not publish the report in full ‘he will no longer have my support’.
Shortly before 6pm, No 10 announced it had U-turned on its U-turn and would release Miss Gray’s complete report.
No 10 said: ‘It would not be appropriate to comment while the Met’s investigation is ongoing.
‘At the end of the process, the Prime Minister will ask Sue Gray to update her work in light of what is found.
‘He will publish that update.’
