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The initial conclusions of the long-awaited report on the parties held during the confinement in Downing Street – the residence of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson – were published.
The report, carried out by official Sue Gray, is limited, since the police asked not to add many details and thus “avoid any damage” in the investigation that they have open on the same cause, although it reveals some keys to what happened and concludes with a harsh criticism of the British leadership.
“Some of the meetings in question represent a serious failure to meet the high standards expected of those who work at the heart of the gpassively “, reads the recently published report. “It shouldn’t have been allowed.”
British police have said the police investigation may take “no more than a year”. In the coming weeks, agents are expected to begin interviewing those involved.
For now, they have in their possession “more than 500 sheets of paper and more than 300 photographs” of the meetings.
Boris Johnson has recognized the facts included in Sue Gray’s report and, before the House of Commons, pointed out that “it is not enough to ask for forgiveness”.
“I understand and I’ll fix it“He said this Monday, among the criticism of the parliamentarians.
The report it only has 11 pagesand here we tell you some of its main conclusions.
1. “It shouldn’t have been allowed”
Gray notes in the report that, in some cases, “nor should have been allowed to take place“. As for other events, “they should not have been allowed to unfold the way they did,” he said.
The official was investigating 16 events which took place on a dozen dates between May 2020 and April 2021, including 3 of which there was no record.
Of those 16, 12 are being investigated by the police.
These include the “bring your own drink” meeting in downing street garden attended by the prime minister on May 20, 2020. It is also cause for police investigation the Johnson’s birthday in the Cabinet room on June 19, 2020.
Regarding alcohol consumption, Gray further noted that “excessive alcohol consumption is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time. Steps should be taken to ensure that all government departments have a clear and robust policy covering alcohol consumption.” of alcohol in the workplace.
At the time the events occurred, the UK was in various degrees of confinement.
Rules for the general public included a ban on indoor gatherings of more than two people, as well as other restrictions for outdoor events.
image source, PA Media
So far, more than five parties have been documented in Downing Street during the worst moments of the confinement to prevent the spread of covid-19.
2. “Leadership Failures”
The official also concludes that “there was leadership and judgment failures by different parts of the number 10 and the Cabinet Office“.
“Sometimes it seems no thought was given to what was happening throughout the country when considering the appropriateness of some of these meetings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public,” he says.
On this point, the parliamentarians of the opposition demand that all findings be published In its whole.
The report is crucial to Johnson’s tenure, which has been rocked by weeks of damaging headlines regarding parties in Downing Street and other government buildings.
Many Conservative MPs said they were awaiting his findings to decide whether to try to remove him from office.
Are needed 54 Conservative Party leaders to to carry out a motion of censure.
3. “Serious failure to meet the high standards expected” from the government
“At least some of the meetings represent a serious breach of high standards expected not just from those who work in government but from the entire British population at that time,” Gray said.
“In the context of the pandemic, when the ggovernment called on citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviors around these meetings are difficult to justify,” the civil official points out.
All events took place at 10 Downing Street or the Cabinet Office, except one at the Department for Education.
Sue Gray was in charge of researching and writing the report.
“It is not up to me to pass judgment on whether the criminal law has been broken; that’s properly a law enforcement issue,” said Gray, second permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office and who reports to Britain’s top civil servant, Simon Case.
Of the police investigation, Gray wrote in his report that he has been “in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police as my work has progressed so that they can make decisions regarding the meetings under review, including the possibility of starting their own research”.
4. Members who wanted report what happened but they might not
One of the report’s latest revelations is that “some staff members wanted to raise concerns regarding behaviors they witnessed at work, but sometimes they felt unable to do so.
“No staff member should feel unable to report or challenge misconduct where they witness it,” Gray said.
The document also notes that there should be “easier ways for staff to raise such concerns informally, outside the management chain”.
What Boris Johnson said regarding the report
BBC Political Correspondent Nick Eardley argues that on first reading, “some of the conclusions are quite damning for Downing Street at a time of lockdown restrictions.”
After receiving the report, Johnson spoke in the House of Commons, asking for an apology “for the things we just didn’t do right” and “the way this matter has been handled”.
The prime minister accepted all the conclusions of the Sue Gray report: “It is no use saying that this or that was within the rules.”
The statement contrasts with his statements two weeks ago, when he said that “no one” warned him that a party with drinks “was once morest the rules.”
“This pandemic was hard for everyone,” he added before parliamentarians on Monday. “We ask people across the country to make the most extraordinary sacrifices.”
As the leaks in the press regarding the different parties −including the same day that Queen Elizabeth II was mourning the death of her husband, Prince Philip−, have been happening, the indignation of the British has grown and countless testimonies have emerged from people who were unable to say goodbye to their loved ones due to confinement.
The prime minister said that he understands the anger that people feel and that “It’s not enough to ask for forgiveness.”
Another of the hot points of Johnson’s speech was regarding the publication or not of the full report, with those parts that the police have asked Gray to omit.
Johnson has said he will “make a decision” on the matter following the police investigation. “It is right”.
The pressure on Johnson is a lot.
Although, in the opinion of the BBC’s political correspondent, what is “important” now is How do Conservative MPs react?
In fact, Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell said he was “deeply concerned regarding these events” following the Prime Minister’s speech.
“He no longer has my support,” he added.
Tobias Ellwood, also a conservative, pointed out that his support is conditional: “If the prime minister does not publish the full report, he will no longer have my support.”
The leader of the British Labor Party, Sir Keir Starmer, said for his part that the British believe that Johnson should “do the right thing and resign”, but considered that the prime minister “a man without shame”.
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