1st February 2022

Europe

Initial report on Boris Johnson's 'Partygate' scandal

Senior British official Sue Gray's report is just 12 pages long, but points to "leadership failures", poor judgment and excessive drinking at the heart of the government.

"There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No. 10 (Downing Street) and the Cabinet Office at different times," she contends. "Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to proceed as they did," the report added.

After the report was published, Johnson apologized in Parliament that he regretted "the things we just didn't do right". "I want to say I'm sorry, and I'm sorry for the things that we just didn't do right. And also for the way this issue has been handled," he told lawmakers. He then added that this is a time "when we need to look in the mirror and we need to learn."

"While the Metropolitan Police have yet to complete their investigation, and that means there are no details of specific events in Sue Gray's report, I, of course, accept Sue Gray's general findings in their entirety. And above all, her recommendation that we should learn from these events and act now," he continued.

For his part, opposition leader Keir Starmer repeated his call for Johnson to resign. He also called the prime minister a "man without shame."

Additionally, Gray's report will likely be hard to read for conservative lawmakers who hold Johnson's political future in their hands. Gray investigated 16 different meetings over 12 days, including one on Johnson's birthday. However, details of all the events were not included in the report, due to the London police investigation that was announced last week.

"At least some of the meetings in question represent a serious breach not only of the high standards expected of those who work at the heart of government, but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time." read in the report. 

The report argues: "At least some of the meetings in question represent a serious breach not only of the high standards expected of those working within government, but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time," he added.