BORIS Johnson has remained clinging to office after the scale of the partygate scandal was revealed in a damning report by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
The Prime Minister resisted calls to quit – including from his own side – as he was accused of presiding over a “culture of boozy rule-breaking”.
The long-awaited report by Gray revealed details of lawbreaking parties held at the heart of the UK Government while the rest of the country was in Covid lockdowns.
These included incidents of excessive alcohol consumption, vomiting, fighting, taking part in karaoke and drinking until 4am.
The report published pictures of the Prime Minister holding drinks and detailed how staff had enjoyed quizzes, leaving dos, “wine-time Fridays”, a “bring your own booze” event and a cheese and wine evening.
Gray also highlighted multiple examples of a “lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff”, which she described as unacceptable.
But mystery remains over one key event – the “Abba party” held in the Downing Street flat, which was reportedly attended by Johnson, his wife Carrie and five special advisers. Gray said she abandoned her investigation into the gathering after the Met Police began their own probe.
Following the publication of her report, Johnson – who previously made history by become the first sitting Prime Minister to have broken the law after being fined over one event – issued another apology.
He told the House of Commons he took “full responsibility” for the partying in Downing Street – before putting the blame on junior staff.
Minutes after telling MPs how “humbled” he had been by lockdown failings in Downing Street, he also sought to switch some of the focus away by calling Labour leader “Sir Beer Korma” and calling for him to apologise for allegedly breaking Covid rules.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said: “This report is utterly damning and the sordid details highlight the culture of boozy rule-breaking that Boris Johnson presided over.
“The findings also once again expose Boris Johnson’s lies to Parliament and to the public.
“The Prime Minister’s misconduct brings shame on the office he currently clings on to. He has displayed contempt – not only to Parliament – but to every single person who followed the rules: those who stayed away from family, those who missed funerals, those who lost someone they loved.
“The failure of leadership came directly from the top. And the Prime Minister – in the words of the report – must bear responsibility for the culture.”
Blackford urged Tory MPs to remove him from office if Johnson refused to “do the right thing” and resign.
He said: “I hope they will bear in mind the now infamous Government advert featuring a desperately ill Covid patient, it said: look into her eyes and tell her you never bend the rules.
“If they don’t submit a letter, if they don’t remove this Prime Minister, how will they ever, ever look at their constituents in the eye ever again?”
Johnson also faced calls from his own side to quit, with former minister Tobias Ellwood questioning whether his fellow Tory MPs could continue to defend the Prime Minister’s behaviour.
He added: “If we cannot work out what we’re going to do, then the broad church of the Conservative Party will lose the next general election.”
Johnson believes he has been partially “vindicated” by the police investigation and the Gray report, despite receiving one fine for attending a party, because he had not received any fines for other gatherings he was found to have attended.
He will now be the subject of a probe by MPs on the Privileges Committee, which will investigate whether he lied to parliament about attending parties.
Johnson defended his actions in previously telling MPs that the rules and guidance had been followed at Downing Street parties, saying it was “what I believed to be true”.
But stated that was clearly not the case for some gatherings “after I left” and stated that he “briefly attended” staff leaving dos as he believes it is “one of the essential duties of leadership”.
Later at a Downing Street press conference Johnson was quizzed on why he did not stop the parties, with the report highlighting a message in which Martin Reynolds, Johnson’s former principal private secretary, boasted Number 10 “seem to have got away with” holding an event.
Johnson said he did not want to comment on individuals named in the report, adding: “A lot of the stuff I saw in the report this morning was news to me.”
The Prime Minister was also grilled on why the media were told by officials no parties had taken place. He said having talked to people they “genuinely believed” that what they were doing was working.
He was also asked to explain the circumstances of the alleged party that took place in his flat during lockdown, reportedly with alcohol, food and Abba songs.
Gray’s report said she had only just started collecting evidence on it when the police announced their own investigation, prompting her to stop.
After the Met’s Operation Hillman came to an end last week, she said she had concluded it was “not appropriate or proportionate” to carry out further investigations.
Johnson responded: “The flat has a dual use … the event in question was a work meeting and that was what the Met Police did investigate and that was certainly the outcome of their investigation.”
