Senior civil servant Sue Gray intends to name those who broke Covid lockdown rules in the Partygate scandal, when her full report into the affair is published.
Now that the Metropolitan Police’s probe into the matter, Operation Hillman, has concluded, it has paved the way for the publication of Sue Gray’s report.
The censored Gray report called out “failures of leadership and judgement” in Downing Street, but did not name any culprits.
The Metropolitan Police have also not revealed the identities of any individuals issued with a fixed penalty notice for their part in gatherings.
However, Gray is now contacting individuals she wants to name, with the full publication of her report expected to come next week.
The senior civil servant is receiving legal advice on the details she can make public. Furthermore, if any individuals she wishes to name choose to contest their inclusion, the publication of the report could be delayed.
Gray’s report looked into a total of 16 gatherings which took place in government buildings during lockdown, while the Met investigated 12 of note which took place between May 20, 2020, and April 16, 2021. Met officers examined 510 photographs, CCTV images, emails, logs of entries into buildings, diary entries and witness statements as part of Operation Hillman.
The BBC reports that Gray is unlikely to include in her report any details of events that the Met did not look into or did not issue any fines for.
Prime minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined once for their part in a gathering for the PM’s birthday, which took place in Downing Street on June 19, 2020.
Johnson has been facing repeated calls to resign over Partygate, but a vote of no confidence from his own Conservative MPs has thus far not been forthcoming, with many awaiting the full Gray report before making a decision on whether to back him.
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons
