Boris Johnson has been formally contacted by Sue Gray's team as the Whitehall enforcer prepares to name him in her Partygate report.
The Prime Minister was given advance notice last night of roughly what the inquiry will say about him when it is published next week.
It’s understood he was not sent exact quotes from the report - and No10 denied he was given a “gist” of the whole document.
But a source confirmed that as a “courtesy”, he was given a Sunday night deadline to raise any objections before the report is unveiled - likely on Tuesday or Wednesday.
It comes after the Met Police announced it had closed its Partygate probe with 126 fines for bashes in Downing Street and Whitehall.
Thursday’s decision cleared the way for ethics chief Sue Gray - whose interim report four months ago slammed a “failure of leadership” - to publish a new Whitehall inquiry into the saga.
Sue Gray’s team wrote on Thursday night to all politicians and officials she is planning to either name directly or refer to without naming as part of a group, the Mirror understands.
They have all been given a Sunday night deadline to respond, before officials plan to make final checks on Monday and hand the finished report to 10 Downing Street.
The handover could be delayed if people referred to in the report raise last-minute objections. No10 promised to publish the report almost immediately after it is received.
Boris Johnson ’s deputy spokesman today said No10 intends to “publish it as received”, without censoring it. “There are issues relating to data protection that we have to take into account but I don’t foresee that slowing down the process,” he said.
Boris Johnson broke cover today for the first time since learning he would get no further fines.
Asked if he’d apologise for the scale of lawbreaking, he said: “Well I’m very grateful to the Met for their work. I thank them for everything that they’ve done.
“I think that we just need to wait for Sue Gray to report and then - fingers crossed that will be very soon - and I’ll be saying some more next week.“
Asked if No10 would block any names from release he replied: "That will entirely up to Sue Gray and I've been looking forward very much to seeing what she has to say. Fingers crossed that will be pretty soon next week."
It is understood Boris Johnson will be named by Sue Gray in her report.
But her work has been complicated by the fact Scotland Yard have not told her who they’ve fined - or even which events the fines were for.
126 fines were dished to 83 people who attended parties out on eight dates. Yet some dates had multiple parties. So for example, neither the public nor Ms Gray know if fines were dished out for a so-called ‘Abba party’ in the Downing Street flat - as there was a No10 leaving do on the same night.
Scotland Yard is facing demands to prevent people being left "in the dark" by explaining more detail - including how Boris Johnson managed to escape with only one fine.
The Prime Minister attended between four and six of the events that led to fines. Yet sources told the Mirror police only investigated him over two events.
Former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald warned "it's very difficult for us to disentangle exactly how the police investigation has proceeded and how fair it's been".
He told the BBC : "I think without the police providing an explanation for that it's very difficult for us to understand why they came to the conclusions that they did."
Sue Gray’s report may deepen the mystery by briefly dealing with the 19 June 2020 birthday party that led to the PM’s fine, while issuing damning verdicts over other dates, the Mirror understands.
The report is set to include names where they are necessary to the process, but a source close to the inquiry rebuffed speculation she was battling opponents in government in a bid to name-and-shame.
They told the Mirror: "In the course of this report there will be a factual narrative about the events and people may be named, but only in a factual way.
"The idea that Sue is banging the table saying 'I want to name all these people' is not correct."
It is thought the report could, for example, say whose leaving do was being held - but not who got drunk and broke Boris Johnson’s son’s swing the night before Prince Philip ’s funeral.
The Sue Gray report will be a make-or-break moment for Boris Johnson’s future, with Tory MPs holding back judgement until they see the final report.
He is set to make a statement in Parliament within hours of it being published.
Asked if Sue Gray should name names, the PM’s deputy spokesman said: “Sue Gray is compiling the report independently and how she does that and what the contents are and how it’s presented is entirely a matter for her.”
Asked if the PM had communicated with Ms Gray directly this week the spokesman replied: “Not that I’m aware of.”
Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab insisted there would be "transparency" around publishing the Gray report "as soon as possible".
The Metropolitan Police declined to identify anyone in its £460,000 investigation.
A team of 12 detectives examined 345 documents, including emails, door logs, diary entries, witness statements and 204 questionnaires.
They also examined 510 photographs and CCTV images.
Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were all fined over a 56th birthday gathering for the Prime Minister in June 2020 when indoor mixing was banned.
But both Johnsons and Mr Sunak were told by police they face no further action, and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case - who was at the bash - has not been fined at all.
Labour ’s Lord Blunkett branded the police announcement “murky” because it was unclear how the PM managed to avoid being fined.
He told the BBC on Thursday: “I suspect some people had good legal advice and others didn’t have access to it.
“I think there’s a murky back story to what has happened.
“I’m sorry if that is the case because some people have been very badly hurt by it whilst others are walking away.”
