Sue Gray’s update omitted any reference to the ministerial code, despite its inclusion in her terms of reference. While the Metropolitan police investigation may have precluded consideration of alleged criminal behaviour, it should not have prevented further examination of her finding of “failures of leadership and judgment” and “a failure to observe ... the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government”, in relation to the prime minister himself.
Her reluctance to enter this minefield may well be due to the requirement in the code that “ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the prime minister”. Clearly this is unworkable and is not addressed by Boris Johnson’s proposals for reform, which conveniently refer only to codes of conduct for civil servants and advisers (Johnson creates Office of the Prime Minister after Sue Gray criticism, 31 January).
