Prime Minister Boris Johnson will publish an updated report from Sue Gray after the Scotland Yard investigation into No 10 parties has finished, Downing Street said.
An alleged lockdown-busting party in Mr Johnson’s Downing Street flat and a gathering in the Cabinet Room to mark his birthday are being investigated by police.
A report produced by senior civil servant Ms Gray catalogued a series of “failures of leadership and judgment” within No 10 and the Cabinet Office while England was under coronavirus restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
They include a “gathering in the No 10 Downing Street flat” on November 13 2020, the night Mr Johnson’s former aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain left their roles.
A No 10 spokesman said: “Given the police have said they are investigating a number of events, it would not be appropriate to comment further while the Met’s investigation is ongoing.
“But, at the end of the process, the Prime Minister will ask Sue Gray to update her work in light of what is found. He will publish that update.
“However the Prime Minister is clear we must not judge an ongoing investigation and his focus now is on addressing the general findings.”
Police are investigating the June 19 2020 event in the Cabinet Room at No 10 to mark the Prime Minister’s 56th birthday where Mr Johnson was “ambushed by cake”, in the words of minister Conor Burns, although he later insisted there was no cake.
The Prime Minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson reportedly organised the surprise get-together complete with a chorus of “happy birthday” and interior designer Lulu Lytle also admitted attending while carrying out the lavish and controversial work to their Downing Street flat.
The May 20 2020 “bring your own booze” event in the No 10 garden which Mr Johnson attended for 25 minutes, apparently believing it was a work event, is also under investigation.
Mr Johnson is facing MPs on Monday afternoon, fighting to maintain his grip on power.
In a statement to the Commons, the Prime Minister said: “Firstly, I want to say sorry - and I'm sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled.
“It’s no use saying this or that was within the rules and it's no use saying people were working hard. This pandemic was hard for everyone.”
Mr Johnson faced shouts of “resign” from Opposition MPs as he told the Commons: “We asked people across this country to make the most extraordinary sacrifices - not to meet loved ones, not to visit relatives before they died, and I understand the anger that people feel.
“But it isn’t enough to say sorry. This is a moment when we must look at ourselves in the mirror and we must learn.
“While the Metropolitan Police must yet complete their investigation, and that means there are no details of specific events in Sue Gray's report, I of course accept Ms Gray's general findings in full, and above all her recommendation that we must learn from these events and act now.”
He told MPs he will overhaul the operation in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office to address the concerns raised in the report, adding: “I get it and I will fix it.”
No 10 suggested an update to the rules governing Downing Street staff could include restrictions on alcohol.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the Ms Gray report “alludes to that and the need for changes to be made in that area”.
He said: “Steps will be taken to ensure every Government department has a clear, robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”
In response, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the British people believe Mr Johnson should “do the decent thing and resign” but he is “a man without shame”.
Sir Keir urged the PM to publish the report in full but insisted it is already clear that what she has disclosed so far is “the most damning conclusion possible”.
He said: “The Prime Minister repeatedly assured the House that the guidance was followed and the rules were followed. But we now know that 12 cases have breached the threshold for criminal investigation, which I remind the House means that there is evidence of serious and flagrant breaches of lockdown, including the party on May 20 2020, which we know the Prime Minister attended, and the party on November 13 2020 in the Prime Minister’s flat.
“There can be no doubt that the Prime Minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation. The Prime Minister must keep his promise to publish Sue Gray’s report in full when it is available, but it is already clear what the report disclosed is the most damning conclusion possible.”
Ms Gray’s limited report listed 16 events she examined as part of her inquiry, but she said only four of those were not now being investigated by the police.
“Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather,” she said.
But her conclusions about the wider culture within the “heart of Government” were scathing.
“Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify,” she said.
“At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.”
There was “too little thought” given to what was happening in the country at the time and “failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times”.
“Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place.
“Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”
The Downing Street garden was used as an extension of the office in a “sensible” precaution against the spread of Covid-19, Ms Gray said, but “was also used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight” and “this was not appropriate”.
The report also hinted at the drinking culture within Government, media reports have suggested “wine time Fridays” were a feature in No 10 during the pandemic.
Ms Gray’s findings did not mention these reports but she said: “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.
“Steps must be taken to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”
Met Police commander Catherine Roper, who is leading the investigation into the partygate scandal, later revealed detectives have been handed more than 300 photographs and 500 pages of evidence from the Cabinet Office.
The Met added in a statement: “If following an investigation, officers believe it is appropriate, because the Covid regulations have been breached without a reasonable excuse, a fixed penalty notice would normally be issued. Once the penalty is paid, the matter is considered closed. Alternatively individuals may decide to dispute the notice. In these circumstances officers will consider whether to pursue the matter in a magistrates’ court.
“We do understand that the Met’s action in assessing and responding to these allegations will divide opinion. However police officers must, based on the information available to them, make carefully considered, difficult decisions, even when to do so is contentious.
“We understand the interest in and impact of this case, and will be progressing the investigation at pace. We are committed to completing our investigations proportionately, fairly and impartially.”
In a fiery Commons session on Monday afternoon, former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell told MPs that the Prime Minister no longer had his support following the publication of Ms Gray’s “update”.
Mr Mitchell said: “Does he recall that ever since he joined the party’s candidates list 30 years ago until we got him into Number 10 he has enjoyed my full-throated support?
“But I am deeply concerned by these events and very concerned indeed by some of the things he has said from that despatch box and has said to the British public and our constituents.
“When he kindly invited me to see him 10 days ago, I told him that I thought he should think very carefully about what was now in the best interests of our country and of the Conservative Party, and I have to tell him he no longer enjoys my support.”
The Prime Minister replied: “I must tell him respectfully, my right honourable friend, great though the admiration is that I have of him, I simply think that he is mistaken in his views and urge him to reconsider upon full consideration of the inquiry.”
Conservative former Prime Minister Theresa May told the Commons: “The Covid regulations imposed significant restrictions on the freedoms of members of the public. They had a right to expect their Prime Minister to have read the rules, to understand the meaning of the rules and indeed those around him to have done so too and to set an example in following those rules.
“What the Gray report does show is that Number 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public, so either my right honourable friend had not read the rules or didn’t understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn’t think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?”
Mr Johnson replied: “No, Mr Speaker that is not what the Gray report says, I suggest that she waits to see the conclusion of the inquiry.”
