Boris Johnson came to the Commons yesterday with a suitcase full of excuses for the behaviour unearthed by Sue Gray’s report.
The Prime Minister told MPs he had been “vindicated” by the findings.
But does his defence for what happened on his watch stand up to scrutiny?
Here is what he said and what is the reality.
'Gatherings on eight dates breached Covid regulations'
What Boris Johnson said:
“It is important to set out that over a period of about 600 days, gatherings on a total of eight dates have been found to be in breach of the regulations, in a building that is 5,300 metres square across five floors, excluding the flats, in which hundreds of staff are entitled to work, and in the Cabinet Office, which has thousands of officials and is now the biggest it has been at any point in its 100-year history.”
What is the truth?
Johnson is deliberately trying to play down the scale of the offences.
What he did not mention was the Metropolitan Police issued 126 fines for lawbreaking, making No 10 the most fined address in the country.
In her report Sue Gray notes that No 10 staff were worked ‘long hours in difficult conditions”.
But then adds: “those challenges, however, also applied to key and frontline workers across the country who were working under equally, if not more, demanding conditions, often at risk to their own health.”
The PM attended eight out of 16 lockdown gatherings
What Boris Johnson said
There were “circumstances where officials and advisers were leaving the government and it was appropriate to recognise them and thank them for the work they have done.
“I briefly attended such gatherings to thank them for their service, which I believe is one of the essential duties of leadership and particularly important when people need to feel that their contributions have been appreciated and to keep morale as high as possible.”
He later added: "When people are working very hard together, day in day out, it can be difficult to draw a boundary between work and socialising".
What is the truth
The Gray report reveals the Prime Minister attended eight of the 16 lockdown gatherings, including one where he brought cheese and wine from his flat.
Johnson is trying to absolve himself of responsibility for the partying culture in No 10 by claiming there were special “exemptions” for No 10 during the pandemic.
But most other workplaces followed the Covid guidance and were perfectly capable of distinguishing between work and socialising.
'I believed I was attending work events'
What he said
“I am happy to set on the record now, that when I said - I came to this House and said in all sincerity - the rules and guidance had been followed at all times it was what I believed to be true.
“It was certainly the case when I was present at gatherings to wish staff farewell, and the House will note that my attendance at these moments – brief as it was – has not been found to be outside the rules.”
He added: “I believed I was attending work events.”
What is the truth
The Prime Minister is trying to address the serious allegation that he repeatedly misled Parliament by claiming there were “no parties” and the “guidance was followed” at all times.
This includes denying he knew of the leaving party where he was pictured toasting a colleague with a raised glass. Although he was not fined others at the gathering were so it is hard to argue the rules were followed at all times.
