The temperature is rising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the jaw-dropping Partygate scandal continues to rage, leaving him facing fury on both sides of the aisle.
During Prime Minister's Questions on January 19, the PM faced a relentless barrage of questions about Partygate as discussions of a possible vote of no confidence continue to swirl.
The defection of former Conservative MP Christopher Wakeford to the Labour benches just minutes before PMQs was designed to cause carnage to the Tories - but appears to have stopped the Pork Pie Plotters in their tracks.
Sir Graham Brady, chair of the all-important 1922 Committee made up of Tory backbenchers, has not yet received the magical 54 letters that would trigger a vote of no confidence. Political pundits believe many Tories are now awaiting the results of the Gray investigation before deciding whether or not to pull that trigger.
But Johnson's contempt for the rules put in place to help prevent the spread of coronavirus over the past two years has caused anger throughout the nation.
In response to the frustration - which stems from millions of Brits making huge sacrifices, including not being able to be with dying loved ones - an investigation has been launched into the string of gatherings.
At the helm of investigation sits Sue Gray, "the most powerful person you've never heard of".
Who is Sue Gray?
Senior civil servant Sue Gray served as Director General of Propriety and Ethics in the Cabinet Office between 2012 and 2018.
Before this, she worked in the departments of Transport, Health and Work and Pensions.
After these roles, she took a career break in the late 1980s to run a pub in Northern Ireland before joining the Cabinet Office in the 1990s.
She now holds the role of the Second Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office, a role charged with leading on the Union and the Constitution.
When is the Sue Gray report into Downing Street party allegations due?
The report was expected to be finalised this week - the exact date remains to be confirmed, however, because the Metropolitan Police has now also launched an investigation into the parties, it was announced on January 25.
Gray's report was originally due to be completed last week but was extended as fresh evidence emerged.
The report was first delayed when additional revelations kept cropping up about more parties alleged to have taken place.
Speaking about the new Met investigation, Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said "a number of events" in Downing Street and Whitehall were going to be looked at by the force.
It was claimed that Gray's report would not be published until the Met has finished its investigation. However, that later changed and Sue Gray is expected to press ahead with her report.
Dame Cressida refused to say exactly how many events are now under the microscope. "The fact that we are now investigating does not, of course, mean that fixed penalty notices will necessarily be issued in every instance and to every person involved," she said.
What does the Sue Gray investigation cover?
The "primary purpose" of Gray's report is, according to the Cabinet Office, to: "Establish swiftly a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings, including attendance, the setting and the purpose, with reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time."
The scope of the report initially set out to cover the Downing Street Christmas parties on November 27 and December 18, but the number of dates under the microscope has now been extended to many more - including two parties that took place on the night before Prince Philip's funeral on April 16.
According to the terms of reference set out for the investigation: "Where there are credible allegations relating to other gatherings, these may be investigated."
They also state that: "If required, the investigations will establish whether individual disciplinary action is warranted."
The terms set out that investigators will have access to documents and will be able to speak to staff throughout its course.
However, Sue Gray is unable to say if Boris Johnson broke the Ministerial Code. An investigation on that can only be triggered by separate watchdog Lord Geidt, with the PM's permission.
What role will Dominic Cummings play?
Gray's investigation will now include written evidence from Johnson's former aide Dominic Cummings over the claims he made that that the PM lied to Parliament.
On January 24 it emerged that Cummings refused to speak to Sue Gray in person for fear his former boss would try to discredit him, answering only in writing.
Speaking to his Substack page subscribers, he said his old boss would "invent nonsense" and has instead given an account in writing, although he did claim there would be more damaging stories to come about Johnson.
It has also emerged that, according to the Telegraph, Downing Street police officers have provided testimonies to the report, with one source telling the paper they were "extremely damning" and are set to be an important part of Gray's report.
Is the Sue Gray investigation independent?
One key concern remains, however, about the independence of the investigation. This is because despite being at the heart of Gray's explorations, Boris Johnson is also the person who gets to decide if the next stage of the investigation can actually go ahead.
He can also choose when to make the findings public.
After Gray's report, Johnson will have the final say as to whether the Prime Minister’s advisor on ministerial interests, Lord Geidt, can actually start an investigation into any breaches of ministerial code.
Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, said: “The PM has set the terms of Sue Gray’s probe and he has chosen to exclude the conduct of ministers from it, creating a neat loophole for himself.
“Any judgement on the conduct of Boris Johnson goes to... Boris Johnson.
“A farcical circular process from a Prime Minister that will escape responsibility in any way he can."
Concerns have also been raised about whether the report will be published in full.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, the education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: "So the terms of reference for Sue Gray’s report is that the findings of her report will be made public, and the prime minister has pledged he will come to parliament to then make a statement and be scrutinised by colleagues on the findings of that report.”
But when asked if this specifically meant that only the findings of the report and not the whole thing would be published, he said: “The findings of Sue Gray’s report will be made public – that is the terms of reference. I think that will ensure public confidence. She can follow the evidence wherever it takes her, and she’s doing exactly that.”
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab was asked the same question by the BBC on January 23. He said: "Quite the way, the process for it, will be for the prime minister to decide. But … there will be full transparency. He has said he will come back to the Commons and make a statement, so there will be full scrutiny.”
