Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to make the report public once it is presented. Credit … Peter Nichols / Reuters
LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson ran an office with widespread violations of coronavirus restrictions, according to a long-awaited government investigation released Wednesday.
The report by senior civil servant Sue Gray includes numerous photos of Mr Johnson holding a glass at a birthday party held in his honor, which violates the rules and for which he paid a police fine. It notes that 83 people violated the rules of parties where some people drank heavily and damaged property.
However, the report does not provide any particularly harmful new information about Mr Johnson’s behavior and even attributes to Downing Street a change in some of its practices to deal with the office culture that Mrs Gray described earlier, edited version of his report as soaked in alcohol.
Ms. Gray did not recommend any punishment for people who broke the rules. But she made it clear that junior officials attend parties attended by their superiors, suggesting that Mr Johnson and other senior figures deserve the lion’s share of responsibility for breaking the rules.
Ms. Gray’s findings were highly critical of Downing Street culture and are likely to increase political pressure on Mr Johnson. “Many of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or take place in the way they did,” the document said.
It added that “at least some of the rallies in question constituted a serious breach not only of the high standards expected of those working in the heart of government, but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”.
“I was aware of many examples of disrespect and mistreatment of security and cleaning staff,” Ms Gray wrote, adding: “That was unacceptable.”
“Many will be afraid that such behavior has taken place on such a scale in the heart of the government. The public has a right to expect the highest standards of behavior in such places, and what has obviously happened does not meet that, Ms. Gray said.
Mr Johnson faced new questions this week about attending parties during the blockade after ITV News published photos Monday showing him drinking at a Downing Street rally believed to be held on 13 November 2020
Mr Johnson denied that a party had taken place in parliament on that date, raising doubts as to whether he had given a truthful account to his fellow MPs. It is believed that at least one person present at the event was fined by the police for violating the blockade laws, so the capital’s London police are also facing calls to explain why Mr Johnson escaped punishment in this case.
The prime minister is expected to make a statement in parliament early Wednesday afternoon, answering questions from lawmakers, including a number of critics within his own Conservative Party. He is also expected to speak at a press conference and then address his own lawmakers in private.
Ms. Gray’s full findings on the scandal were blocked in January when police launched their own investigation. However, her preliminary report – which was published but with edited parts – was reprehensible, concluding that there were “failures of leadership and judgment” from various parts of Downing Street and the government machine.
Last week, Sofia police said Partygate’s investigations were over, clearing the way for Ms. Gray to complete her report.
Add Comment