Boris Johnson was today branded "unfit for office" after a partial Sue Gray report found "failures of leadership and judgement" over Downing Street lockdown parties that "should not have been allowed".
A damning nine-page update said "at least some" of the gatherings were "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."
It revealed Scotland Yard are probing 12 out of the 16 parties the top civil servant investigated - including Boris Johnson's birthday party.
Police are also probing a so-called 'Abba party' in Boris and Carrie Johnson's flat - which Boris Johnson explicitly denied happened.
Police and Ms Gray probed "a gathering in the No 10 Downing Street flat" on 13 November 2020, she said. Yet when the PM was asked in Parliament if there was “a party in Downing Street on November 13”, he replied: “No”.
Desperate and cornered, Mr Johnson accused Keir Starmer of "failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile" and suggested with no evidence that the Labour frontbench were on drugs.
But in an excoriating attack, ex-PM Theresa May said Boris Johnson either ignored the rules or hadn't read or understood them - while Tory ex-Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell said: "He no longer enjoys my support".
Tory MP Aaron Bell told Boris Johnson he drove three hours to his grandmother’s funeral in May 2020, adding: “I didn’t hug my siblings, I didn’t hug my parents, I gave a eulogy. Afterwards I didn’t even go to her house for a cup of tea… Does the Prime Minister think I’m a fool?”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford was ordered to leave the Commons after declaring: “This Prime Minister has lied and misled the House”.
While it did not directly attack Boris Johnson, today's report said some of the parties should not have been "allowed to develop" - suggesting he should have put a stop to them.
Ms Gray warned she has “extensive substantive factual information” after interviewing more than 70 people and checking e-mails, WhatsApps, texts, photographs, official records and entry and exit logs.
And police revealed Ms Gray had gathered, and given to them, "well over 500 pieces of paper, about a ream and a half, and over 300 photographs".
But the report was stripped of almost all details after the Met Police asked Ms Gray to make only "minimal reference" to the 12 gatherings it was probing.
Ms Gray conceded: "I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events. 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."
Downing Street tonight confirmed it will publish a second Sue Gray report after the Scotland Yard probe ends. Earlier, No10 repeatedly refused to commit to it.
Furious Keir Starmer said: “The Prime Minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation”. He added: “The Prime Minister must keep his promise to publish Sue Gray’s report in full when it is available.”
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood said: "If the PM fails to publish the report in full then he will no longer have my support."
MPs shouted in Parliament today as the Prime Minister said “sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right” and “it’s no use saying this or that was in the rules” - after weeks of insisting just that.
“It isn't enough to say sorry, it is a moment to look at ourselves in the mirror and we must learn," he said.
He said the special advisor code of conduct will be reviewed, and he will say “more in the coming days about steps to improve the No10 operation and work of the Cabinet Office.”
But ex-PM Theresa May said No10 "was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public.”
In a scathing attack, she said: “Either [the Prime Minister] 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 them. Which was it?”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: “He has wilfully misled Parliament”. He was ordered to leave the chamber after failing to fully withdraw the remark.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “The #Gray report may be heavily constrained but it is nevertheless excoriating of Boris Johnson. He is guilty of serial failures of leadership & judgment (& has clearly misled parliament).
“If the Tories allow him to continue as PM, they will all be complicit.”
And in a powerful speech, Labour leader Keir Starmer blasted: “By routinely breaking the rules he set, the Prime Minister took us all for fools.
"He held people’s sacrifice in contempt. He showed himself unfit for office.
"His desperate denials since he was exposed have only made matters worse. Rather than come clean, every step of the way he’s insulted the public’s intelligence and now he’s finally fallen back on his usual excuse - it’s everybody’s fault but his.”
Labour's leader added: “Whatever your politics, whichever party you vote for, honesty and decency matters.
"Our great democracy depends on it. And cherishing and nurturing British democracy is what it means to be patriotic. There are members opposite who know that, and they know the Prime Minister is incapable of it.
"The question they must now ask themselves is - what are they going to do about it? They can heap their reputations, of their party, of this country, on the bonfire that is his leadership.
"Or they can spare the country from a Prime Minister totally unworthy of his responsibilities. It is their duty to do so.”
Angry Mr Johnson said he would now stop talking about No10 parties and blasted Sir Keir's powerful speech as a "tissue of nonsense".
Today’s report said No10 staff “worked long hours under difficult conditions” but said frontline workers across the country “were working under equally, if not more, demanding conditions, often at risk to their own health”.
She added: “Criminal sanctions were applied to many found to be in breach.
“The hardship under which citizens across the country worked, lived and sadly even died while observing the Government’s regulations and guidance rigorously are known only too well.”
She said “at times it seems there was too little thought” given to whether the gatherings were appropriate. She added: “There were 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.”
Hannah Brady, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: "The Sue Gray report marks another painful day for bereaved families and reiterates what we already knew: that the Prime Minister and his colleagues broke their own laws regularly and blatantly, whilst families across the country stuck with them even when they suffered terribly as a consequence.”
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the report was “shocking” and demanded the PM’s resignation. She said: “It is the most fundamental failure of any Prime Minister and I’m absolutely shocked that Boris Johnson can even show his face in Parliament today.”
The report said it was “sensible” to use the No10 garden for meetings, but it was “used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight. This was not appropriate.
“Any official access to the space, including for meetings, should be by invitation only and in a controlled environment.”
Ms Gray wrote: "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 added: "There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government. This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded."
But the lack of detail means questions over the Prime Minister's future could be put off for months while Scotland Yard investigate.
Most of the information Sue Gray gathered will now be locked away for "storage and safekeeping", and the civil servant suggested a fuller report could be published at a later date.
Yet today Downing Street refused to commit to publishing a more complete report from top civil servant Ms Gray in the future, once police finish their investigation.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "That's one of the things I can't confirm at this point simply because we need to discuss that with the Met and others about what is suitable."
The spokesman insisted No10 will publish the current version 'as received' - but it was already stripped back on police advice before being submitted to Downing Street.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “This whole shambolic and dishonest government must be brought down.
"Boris Johnson must confirm that the full report will be published as soon as possible. Every day it is delayed prolongs the pain for the millions across the country who just want answers and for justice to be done."
Sue Gray investigated the following 16 events. The 12 marked with asterixes are being investigated by police. We have re-inserted details cross-checked with media reporting.
- 15 May 2020: Around 20 No10 staff including Boris and Carrie Johnson gathered in the sunshine in the Downing Street garden for wine and cheese.
- 20 May 2020: The PM’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds invited 100 No10 staff to “make the most of the lovely weather ” and “bring your own booze!”. The PM attended for 25 minutes.*
- 18 June 2020: "a gathering in the Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a No 10 private secretary"*
- 19 June 2020: Boris Johnson was thrown a surprise birthday party by wife Carrie during the first Covid lockdown despite indoor social events being banned. He attended for 10 minutes.*
- 13 November 2020: Sources told the Mirror No10 aides “drank their socks off" at an alleged gathering in Boris and Carrie Johnson’s flat above 11 Downing Street. Abba was reportedly blasted out.*
- 13 November 2020: Sources told the Mirror a relatively small number of people gathered for drinks in No10’s ‘round table room’ to mark the departure of aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain.*
- 27 November 2020: Sources told the Mirror 40 to 50 people crammed into a room in No10 for a leaving do for top aide Cleo Watson.
- 10 December 2020: The Mirror revealed up to two dozen of then-Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's top team gathered for "drinks and canapes" in his department's cafe.
- 15 December 2020: Boris Johnson hosted a Christmas quiz virtually but with two staff by his side, and sources said many stuff huddled by computers in No10 to take part while drinking booze from a local Tesco Metro.
- 17 December 2020: "a gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall to hold an online Christmas quiz for the Cabinet Secretary’s private office";*
- 17 December 2020: The official who was in charge of writing Covid rules admitted to having a leaving do while indoor socialising was banned. Kate Josephs, the former Director General of the Covid Taskforce, was given a grand send off in the Cabinet Office "with drinks".*
- 17 December 2020: "a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a No 10 official";*
- 18 December 2020: Party stories cascaded out after the Mirror broke the original tale of the No10 Christmas party. No10 dodged questions for a week before bombshell video emerged of staff joking about it - prompting former Press Secretary Allegra Stratton to resign. She had joked with colleagues that there had been “wine and cheese” and the Friday night bash was “not socially distanced”.*
- 14 January 2021: "a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 private secretaries";*
- 16 April 2021:On the No10 roof, the Union flag was flying at half-mast in mourning for Prince Philip - who the Queen would bury alone the next day. But in the basement, a staffer nicknamed “DJ” was blaring out tunes from a laptop on a photocopier at a boozy party for a photographer's leaving do.*
- 16 April 2021: A separate leaving do took place on the same night for chief spin doctor James Slack.*
Ms Gray sent her report to Downing Street at 11.20am today. But she “spoke briefly” to Boris Johnson yesterday and "briefly discussed the findings", No10 revealed. The PM's spokesman added: “I don’t think she went into detail of the report, it was more on [logistics].”
Boris Johnson will fight for his job and attempt to get his premiership back on track with a levelling-up White Paper, help for energy bills and a visit to Ukraine tomorrow.
But No10 was unable to say if he had to reschedule a call with Russia's Vladimir Putin due to the report.
The PM’s Press Secretary refused to withdraw Boris Johnson’s claim that no party happened on November 13, despite a gathering in the No10 flat being listed by Sue Gray’s report.
She said “we stand by previous comments we have made on this”, adding: “We cannot comment further on specific dates and details within them.”
More than 16 parties have been uncovered across Downing Street, Whitehall and Tory HQ during lockdown rules since the Mirror’s first revelations on December 1.
We first uncovered a Downing Street Christmas party on December 18, 2020, while indoor social gatherings in London were banned.
The PM also hosted a virtual quiz with staff sitting by his side while indoor social gatherings were banned.
Later revelations included a party with a spread of food in the basement of Tory HQ, which was not included in Ms Gray’s report.
It also emerged staff in No10 brought a suitcase of wine in to leaving dos the night before Prince Philip’s funeral - prompting an apology to the Palace.
Downing Street staff held 'wine-time Fridays' throughout the pandemic with Boris Johnson regularly witnessing the gatherings, the Mirror revealed.
Mr Johnson was accused of misleading Parliament after claiming he had been “repeatedly assured” there was no party, only to admit his own attendance at one.
The PM confessed spending 25 minutes at an outdoor “bring your own booze” gathering on May 20, 2020, but claimed he thought it was a work event.
Ex-aide Dominic Cummings, who gave evidence to Sue Gray, said the PM was warned by two separate members of staff that the party broke rules.
The PM was considering announcing a new chief operating officer at No10 to review HR policies and setting up a new code of conduct for staff, according to one ally.
The police announcement prompted a Whitehall row, with Ms Gray's report delayed by several days while officials tried to work out if it would prejudice a police probe.
Ms Gray handed a dossier of evidence to Scotland Yard on Friday - but any punishments officers dish out are likely to be limited to fixed penalty notices, which are not a criminal conviction.
For many that could simply involve receiving a letter from police and paying a £200 fine.
Downing Street said Boris Johnson was willing to cooperate with the police if necessary - including being interviewed - but he had not been spoken to by officers as of Monday.
The report could reignite Tory pressure on Boris Johnson to resign. 54 MPs need to submit no confidence letters to trigger a formal challenge, and many were holding theirs back until they read the Gray report.
What is the Sue Gray report?
Top civil servant Sue Gray investigated a string of parties between May 2020 and April 2021 - mostly in No10 and its garden.
The 64-year-old took over the inquiry from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case after it emerged a party had been held in his own office.
Her probe was set up to get “a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings”. That means saying who attended, the “setting and the purpose”, and “reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time”.
But she cannot rule whether the PM broke the law (which is for police) or the Ministerial Code (which is for a different watchdog).
And the names of junior staff were likely to be kept anonymous. Disciplinary action would be kept secret too.
Why was it delayed?
Her report was due last week, with Boris Johnson promising to publish it within a short time of receiving it.
But it was thrown into chaos after the Met Police began investigating “a number of” the Downing Street gatherings she’d looked at.
Government and police officials were left wrangling over what parts of the report could prejudice a police investigation.
Sources claimed that Scotland Yard had no objection to the report being published. But after days of confusion, the Met Police clarified: "For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report."
This meant the report had to be either published with key details missing, or delayed entirely. On Friday evening, it emerged Ms Gray had decided to send a stripped-back report to No10.
Do the police have a good reason for cutting down the report?
Scotland Yard’s decision prompted bafflement after the force spent weeks not investigating, only to launch one at the worst moment.
Lawyers pointed out Sue Gray’s report was very unlikely to prejudice any court case, because lockdown breaches are almost always punished with on-the-spot fines.
Nazir Afzal, a former chief Crown prosecutor for the North West, said on Twitter : "This is absolute nonsense from the Met Police. A purely factual report by Sue Gray cannot possibly prejudice a police investigation. They just have to follow the evidence, of which the report will be a part."
Top barrister Adam Wagner, who is an expert on Covid rules, tweeted: "I am not a criminal lawyer so perhaps I am missing something. How would a factual civil service report about events the police is investigating 'prejudice' their investigation?"
But others pointed out that Scotland Yard wanted to “avoid any prejudice to our investigation ” - “investigation”, not prosecution.
Nick Aldworth, a former Met chief superintendent, said knowing what’s in the report could “give the potential defendants an opportunity to conceal or alter evidence".
