Boris Johnson is bracing for a final day of scrutiny over the illegal parties in Downing Street during the pandemic, a scandal that dogged his administration for months and almost ended his political career.
Civil servant Sue Gray, who led an internal probe into what the U.K. media has dubbed “partygate,” is due to hand her full findings to Johnson next week. The prime minister has committed to publishing them in full and will make a statement in Parliament to try to finally draw a line under the matter.
Gray’s report was long seen as the likely moment of maximum peril for Johnson, when the full scale of law-breaking and crucially, the level of his own knowledge and involvement, would be laid bare. Many of his Conservative Party critics said they would wait for the probe before deciding if they still wanted him as leader; “Waiting for Sue Gray” even became a Westminster punchline.
