By The Sue Gray report into No 10 parties has been published
After weeks of speculation and controversy, Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street parties during lockdown has been published.
The report says there was a “serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time” at some of the gatherings.
Although her full report into the events will give clarity on whether lockdown rules were breached, Sue Gray writes: “It is not for me to make a judgment on whether the criminal law has been broken; that is properly a matter for law enforcement.
“In line with my terms of reference I have been in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police as my work has progressed in order for them to take decisions on the gatherings under examination, including whether to launch their own investigation.”
While the Met police carry out their own investigation, Ms Gray stated that she needed to release her initial “limited” findings now due to the high public interest.
She added: ” I have not made comment on whether individual gatherings were in line with the relevant 6 guidance and regulations in place at the time. I did not judge it appropriate to do so given the police investigation that is now underway.”
Despite her inability to comment on whether or not the parties broke guidelines, she does state that some of the behaviour she has investigated is “hard to justify”.
Many MPs defended the gathering as work events, but Ms Gray stated: “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.
“Steps must be taken to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”
Although the public will have to wait longer for her full report to be published, she concludes her current findings with this damning statement: “The whole of the country rose to the challenge. Ministers, special advisers and the Civil Service, of which I am proud to be a part, were a key and dedicated part of that national effort.
“However, as I have noted, a number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.
“There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across government.
“This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded.”
This story is breaking. Updates to follow as it progresses.
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