Boris Johnson and his senior officials must bear responsibility for the illegal parties held in Downing Street during the pandemic, according to a long-awaited internal probe into the so-called partygate scandal.
"Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen,” civil servant Sue Gray, who was commissioned by Johnson to investigate the allegations, said in her report published Wednesday, which includes details of how officials boasted of getting away with drinks parties. "The senior leadership at the center, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture.”
Gray’s full findings were due weeks ago, at a time when many in Westminster predicted they had the potential to end Johnson’s political career. But the report was delayed by a separate police inquiry and attention has since shifted to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Conservative Members of Parliament are now showing far less inclination to try to oust the prime minister.