Boris Johnson has said Downing Street will not seek to block any names from appearing in Sue Gray’s report into the partygate scandal.
In his first comments since Scotland Yard concluded its investigation into lockdown breaches in Whitehall and has issued 126 fines, the Prime Minister appeared eager to turn a page on the partygate scandal.
Speaking in Wales on Friday, Johnson said: “I’m very grateful to the Met for their work, I’m thankful for everything they’ve done.
“We just need to wait for Sue Gray to report, fingers crossed, that will be very soon, and I’ll be saying some more next week.”
Asked if No. 10 would be blocking any names from appearing, he said: “That will be entirely up to Sue Gray and I’ll be looking forward very much to seeing what she has to say.”
Johnson has said he will address the Commons once the Gray report is published.
The end of the police inquiry means Gray, a senior civil servant tasked with undertaking an inquiry, can now publish her internal report, it is expected to be released on Tuesday or Wednesday.
To the astonishment of many, and the fury of civil servants, the Prime minister has been told by the police he will not receive more than the single fixed penalty notice already handed out, despite being believed to have been present at multiple rule-breaking events.
Gray’s interim report published in January said there were “failures of leadership and judgment” that allowed rule-breaking gatherings to take place in Downing Street.
While the Met Police refused to name any individuals fined over the events the Gray report could name senior figures involved when explaining what occurred during the events.
But even if Gray’s full report contains damaging further details about rule breaking the police inquiry bought Johnson time to make himself more secure from a challenge from backbench MPs to his position Tory leader right now.
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