No 10 to publish limited Sue Gray report – but does not commit to full version

The long-awaited Sue Gray report into rule-breaking on Downing Street will finally be published today, however the version presented to the public and MPs has been edited to remove aspects which are currently subject to a criminal investigation.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said Ms Gray - the top civil servant conducting the partygate investigation - has "provided an update on her investigations to the prime minister".

That statement is understood to mean Boris Johnson has at least received a version of the report however it is unclear whether Mr Johnson he has seen a full version.

The report released to the public will contain only "minimal reference" to events being investigated by the Metropolitan Police, as per its request, after the force announced a criminal probe had been launched last week.

Downing Street said the report will be published in the full form it has received from the inquiry team, but did not commit to publish a fuller version in future.

Mr Johnson will make a statement on the report to MPs in Parliament at 3:30, it has been confirmed. It will be published online before the prime minister speaks in the House of Commons.

Asked about warnings that the inquiry will be a "whitewash" because of the changes, Mr Johnson said: "You are going to have to wait and see both what Sue says and, of course, what the Met says."

The PM earlier insisted "I stick absolutely to what I've said in the past" when questioned about his reported denials of any wrongdoing to Tory MPs.

The PM has publicly said he is "deeply sorry for misjudgements" surrounding events in No 10, but insisted no one warned him a garden party in the first lockdown would be against the rules.

In private, however, he is said to have told Conservative MPs who may oust him as Prime Minister over the saga that he has done nothing wrong.

"You're going to have to wait and see the outcome of the investigations but, of course, I stick absolutely to what I've said in the past," he said.

Many Tory MPs have said they are reserving judgement on whether to remove the PM from office over his involvement in partygate until Ms Gray's report was published.

But the PM's day of reckoning may have to wait, with any details referring to potential criminality expected to be withheld from the report until the police investigation concludes.

After announcing it had launched an investigation, the Met Police said: "For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report.

“The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation.”

The force has said the potential offences it is investigating could only result in fixed penalty notices being issued rather than any criminal charges.

Several allegations of coronavirus rule breaking have been levelled at the prime minister, with the most recent being a birthday bash in June 2020, revealed by ITV News.

But the accusation with perhaps the most potential to damage the PM is he attended a rule-breaking party in the Number 10 garden in May 2020, after his principal private secretary sent an email inviting more than 100 staff to bring their own booze and "make the most of the lovely weather".

The prime minister accepted he did attend that event, which was clearly in breach of rules at the time, but he claimed to be oblivious of the party, believing it was a "work event".

Ms Gray's report will "make for "very uncomfortable reading", ITV News Political Editor Peston has been told.