Prime minister Boris Johnson has promised that senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into possible Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street will be published “in full”, while economic data from the US showed that the American economy grew at its fastest rate for 50 years in the final quarter of 2021.
While Johnson has promised full disclosure of Gray’s findings, he admitted that he did not know exactly when the report will be made available.
The BBC has indicated that Gray’s report is currently being examined by lawyers and human resources chiefs before being disclosed to government.
The purpose of Gray’s investigation into the potentially rule-breaking parties in Downing Street has been to establish 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”.
While the findings of the investigations will be made public, any human resources action against individuals involved will remain confidential. As part of the proceedings, Gray will be given the authority to “establish whether individual disciplinary action is warranted” against any who were involved in the parties.
Gray has already passed some information onto the Metropolitan Police force, which has started its own inquiry into the gatherings.
The PM has been clear that he will make a statement in the House of Commons in response to Gray’s report once ministers have had time to digest its content.
The Labour party had been pushing for full disclosure of Gray’s report and has requested that opposition MPs are given ample time to scrutinise it before the government makes its statement and its contents are discussed in Parliament.
While many opposition MPs and some Conservatives have urged Johnson to step down in the wake of the ‘partygate’ scandal, many Tories are believed to be awaiting the outcome of the Sue Gray inquiry before deciding whether to push for the prime minister’s removal.
Elsewhere, figures from the US Department of Commerce showed that the American economy grew at annual rate of 6.9 per cent over the final quarter of 2021, surpassing economists’ expectations.
It came as the fastest rate of expansion within the US economy since 1972 and came despite the emergence of the Omicron variant. Strong consumer spending and government stimulus were earmarked as major factors in driving growth.
The US economy grew by 5.7 per cent over the whole year, which was its best annual performance since 1984.
It is expected that growth in the US economy will be slower over 2022 - at around 3.7 per cent - as high inflation becomes more of a factor.
The Biden administration is also scaling back stimulus spending, while interest rates are being raised by the US Federal Reserve.
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons
