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| Downing Street parties: Sue Gray won't wait for police inquiry | Downing Street parties: Sue Gray won't wait for police inquiry |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Sue Gray is expected to deliver her report on No 10 parties to the PM without waiting for the police inquiry to conclude, the BBC has been told. | Sue Gray is expected to deliver her report on No 10 parties to the PM without waiting for the police inquiry to conclude, the BBC has been told. |
| The senior civil servant is expected to hand her report to the prime minister shortly but no exact timescale has been given. | The senior civil servant is expected to hand her report to the prime minister shortly but no exact timescale has been given. |
| It comes after days of confusion over when the report would be published. | It comes after days of confusion over when the report would be published. |
| The Met Police has denied its investigation is to blame for any delay. | The Met Police has denied its investigation is to blame for any delay. |
| The police had asked for minimal references to be made to the events they are looking at, in order to "avoid any prejudice to our investigation". | The police had asked for minimal references to be made to the events they are looking at, in order to "avoid any prejudice to our investigation". |
| This means the report Ms Gray releases before the police probe is complete may need to contain some redactions, or be changed. | This means the report Ms Gray releases before the police probe is complete may need to contain some redactions, or be changed. |
| Downing Street is yet to receive the document, which it has promised to publish. | Downing Street is yet to receive the document, which it has promised to publish. |
| Why has Sue Gray's report not appeared yet? | Why has Sue Gray's report not appeared yet? |
| Sue Gray report: What exactly is she looking at? | Sue Gray report: What exactly is she looking at? |
| What action could police take over No 10 parties? | What action could police take over No 10 parties? |
| Material from the Cabinet Office, which the Met requested to "support its investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations at a number of events in Downing Street and Whitehall", was received by the force on Friday. | Material from the Cabinet Office, which the Met requested to "support its investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations at a number of events in Downing Street and Whitehall", was received by the force on Friday. |
| In a statement, the Met said it expected to approach individuals "identified as having potentially breached" regulations. | In a statement, the Met said it expected to approach individuals "identified as having potentially breached" regulations. |
| Commander Catherine Roper, who leads the Met's Central Specialist Crime Command, said "the offences under investigation, where proven, would normally result in the issuing of a fixed penalty notice". | Commander Catherine Roper, who leads the Met's Central Specialist Crime Command, said "the offences under investigation, where proven, would normally result in the issuing of a fixed penalty notice". |
| She added that the Met's actions would be "proportionate to the nature of these offences". | She added that the Met's actions would be "proportionate to the nature of these offences". |
| BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said he had been told Ms Gray was trying to redraft parts of her report to address any police concerns - but wanted to avoid blanking out whole swathes of text in case it looked like "a Whitehall whitewash". | |
| Former director of public prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, told the BBC that asking for Ms Gray's report to make only minimal reference to the gatherings being investigated by police seemed "disproportionate" if the force was only considering fixed penalty notices. | Former director of public prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, told the BBC that asking for Ms Gray's report to make only minimal reference to the gatherings being investigated by police seemed "disproportionate" if the force was only considering fixed penalty notices. |
| Labour has called for the report to be published in full and the investigations to be wrapped up as soon as possible. | Labour has called for the report to be published in full and the investigations to be wrapped up as soon as possible. |
| The SNP and Liberal Democrats are claiming the delay in publication is a "stitch-up" aimed at keeping Boris Johnson in power. | The SNP and Liberal Democrats are claiming the delay in publication is a "stitch-up" aimed at keeping Boris Johnson in power. |
| If anything less than that full report emerges next week, we can expect even more condemnation from the opposition parties. | |
| All this is crucial to the prime minister's political future because some Conservative MPs have been telling me that they're considering putting in a letter of no confidence once they've read Sue Gray's report. | |
| If that report is shorn of all the serious allegations of what was going on in Downing Street, it may well be the case that they sit on their hands until the Met completes its work. | |
| The opposition say this is obviously to the advantage of Boris Johnson - it buys him some time. | |
| But there's a bigger issue too, because it's not just the opposition politicians. | |
| Some Conservatives are saying to me too that the way all this has been handled has further eroded public trust in the political system. | |
| Many Conservative MPs are saying they will wait for the report's publication before deciding whether to take action against the prime minister. | |
| Mr Johnson has been under pressure following a string of allegations about events held in Downing Street and other government premises during coronavirus restrictions. | Mr Johnson has been under pressure following a string of allegations about events held in Downing Street and other government premises during coronavirus restrictions. |
| It has already been confirmed that the events Ms Gray is looking into include a "bring-your-own-booze" drinks event in the No 10 garden in May 2020, which was attended by Mr Johnson, and a staff gathering to celebrate his birthday in June 2020. | It has already been confirmed that the events Ms Gray is looking into include a "bring-your-own-booze" drinks event in the No 10 garden in May 2020, which was attended by Mr Johnson, and a staff gathering to celebrate his birthday in June 2020. |
| On Tuesday, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced that the force was investigating. | On Tuesday, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced that the force was investigating. |
| This video can not be played | This video can not be played |
| To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. |
| Politicians will move on from the Downing Street parties and want the families of those lost to Covid to move on, says Fran Hall | Politicians will move on from the Downing Street parties and want the families of those lost to Covid to move on, says Fran Hall |
| The SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said: "If the UK government refuses to publish the full unredacted report it will prove, yet again, that Westminster is utterly corrupt and broken beyond repair. | The SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said: "If the UK government refuses to publish the full unredacted report it will prove, yet again, that Westminster is utterly corrupt and broken beyond repair. |
| "It won't save Boris Johnson's skin. It will only add to the calls for him to go." | "It won't save Boris Johnson's skin. It will only add to the calls for him to go." |
| Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Anything short of the full report would be a Whitehall whitewash not worth the paper it is written on." | Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Anything short of the full report would be a Whitehall whitewash not worth the paper it is written on." |
| And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "What I want to see is Sue Gray's report in full and the investigation finished as quickly as possible." | And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "What I want to see is Sue Gray's report in full and the investigation finished as quickly as possible." |
| Sir Roger Gale, who is among the Tory MPs to have publicly called for the PM to resign, said the situation was a "farce" which could delay a possible challenge to the "lame duck" prime minister. | Sir Roger Gale, who is among the Tory MPs to have publicly called for the PM to resign, said the situation was a "farce" which could delay a possible challenge to the "lame duck" prime minister. |
| Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World At One, he added that unless there is a "legal barrier", the senior official should publish her report "now and in full". | Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World At One, he added that unless there is a "legal barrier", the senior official should publish her report "now and in full". |
| Asked by the BBC's Nick Robinson if the police's statement had been helpful to Mr Johnson, senior minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "It would be a very eccentric conspiracy theorist who thought that the prime minister being investigated by the police is beneficial for the prime minister - that is parallel universe stuff." | Asked by the BBC's Nick Robinson if the police's statement had been helpful to Mr Johnson, senior minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "It would be a very eccentric conspiracy theorist who thought that the prime minister being investigated by the police is beneficial for the prime minister - that is parallel universe stuff." |