Downing Street officials say distribution of partygate fines is unfair

ITV News Political Correspondent Daniel Hewitt rounds up the latest in the saga

In Downing Street there is a sense of injustice and considerable upset that the 126 partygate fines have been levied disproportionately on women and junior officials.

One source said: “The majority of [those fined] are very junior diary managers etc on 24k-ish and these fines are really stacking up for them.

"Typically they are getting fined for events they were at with their males bosses who seem to have got away no problem.

"Pretty clear also that people who bothered lawyering up [like the PM] are fine. There is a lot of very angry and upset people."

Much now hangs on the report by the senior Cabinet Office official Sue Gray, which will be published next week.

Through colleagues, she has made clear that she wants to protect the more junior officials andhang responsibility for Downing Street’s rule breaking culture on more senior named individuals.

The big question is whether her report corrects the perceived unfairness of the distribution of fines and identifies who at the top was to blame.

The PM will have an anxious weekend as he waits to read what Gray says about his role in the creation of the compromised culture at the top of Whitehall and government.