Boris Johnson is still waiting for Sue Gray’s partygate report to arrive on his desk.
With his leadership hanging the in balance, Number 10 officials were anxiously awaiting the final draft of the investigation by the top civil servant.
On Thursday morning, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “We haven’t received it yet. We’ll keep the Speaker updated should it come today or tomorrow.”
“It remains hypothetically possible to publish today or tomorrow but obviously we will have to keep in touch with the Speaker on the parliamentary process that will flow from that.”
Johnson has pledged to come to the Commons to make a statement on the report as soon as it is published, which is said to have been held up by legal checks after the Metropolitan Police announced a separate inquiry.
But with the Prime Minister out of Whitehall on a visit to North Wales and the Commons timetable taken up with a Holocaust Memorial Day debate publication remains unlikely on Thursday.
Downing Street is expected to publish that report within hours of receiving it and the PM will go to Parliament to make a statement.
The spokesman said: “We’re not in control of what time the report is presented to us. It remains the case we want to do it at the earliest opportunity.”
The move follows days of chaotic briefing and counter-briefing over the report after Gray concluded her work into the partygate saga.
If the outcome of the Gray report is significantly damaging, Johnson could face a revolt from his own MPs, who may choose to call a vote of no confidence.
With the majority of Tory MPs waiting for the report before passing their own judgment on the party leader, allies of the Prime Minister rallied around him.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries became the second Cabinet minister to warn that ousting the Prime Minister could trigger a general election.
Labour’s Lisa Nandy MP said: “We will not rest until the British public have the answers that they deserve.
“The Prime Minister has said he will publish it in full, he must publish it in full and, if he won’t publish it in full, we will take every step that we can to make sure that information is in the public domain.”
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