Sue Gray partygate report received by Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson has received the Sue Gray report into Downing Street parties during the coronavirus lockdown and will soon make a statement to the House of Commons.
The senior civil servant’s report is expected to be heavily critical of the culture in Number 10, which led to repeated violations of Covid restrictions.
Damaging details, including the names of some of those who attended gatherings, are likely to be published as well.
The report is also expected to contain pictures. Images of Boris Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Cabinet secretary Simon Case will be included in the document, sources told ITV News' Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana.
Officials impacted by the Gray inquiry, including those to be named, were written to ahead of its publication, allowing them to have a chance to respond before it was finalised.
The report is expected to be published on Wednesday, with the PM expected to make a statement after Prime Minister's Questions at around 12:30.
A Downing Street press conference is expected to be held after Ms Gray's findings are made public.
Prime Minister Johnson is also scheduled to address the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories on Wednesday and will also take questions from MPs and PMQs.
Policing minister Kit Malthouse told ITV News that Mr Johnson will respond to Ms Gray's report in the House of Commons, but he's more focused on tackling crime.
He said it was now time to "move on", with the government keen "to show to the British people that we are taking this priority [of cracking down on crime]... very seriously".
"The investigation is now closed. Prime minister has paid his fine and apologised for the cake incident - I really think we have to move on," he said.
According to an earlier, shortened version published in January, Ms Gray’s investigation analysed events from May 15, 2020 to April 16, 2021.
The full publication into the parties was sidelined as the Metropolitan Police conducted its own partygate probe, dubbed Operation Hillman.
The force concluded its investigation on May 19, with 126 fines being issued in total to 83 people.
Mr Johnson received one for an event held on his 56th birthday and was told he would face no further action over other gatherings covered by the inquiry.
Earlier this week, two new photographs apparently depicting separate gatherings at Downing Street were published.
Images obtained by ITV appeared to show Mr Johnson raising a toast and drinking wine at a gathering held to mark the departure of Downing Street’s then Director of Communications Lee Cain on November 13 2020.
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The Mirror meanwhile published a picture showing a man standing at a table with nine bottles of wine and prosecco, which was claimed to have been taken at a gathering to mark the final press briefing Mr Johnson’s former official spokesperson James Slack on November 17 2020.
On Tuesday evening, the BBC broadcast a Panorama programme which featured three anonymous individuals describing in detail what they witnessed at regular rule-breaking events during coronavirus restrictions.
They said events were “every week”, with invitations for press office drinks listed in the diary as “Wine-Time Friday”.
On Tuesday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wrote to the acting head of the Metropolitan Police Sir Stephen House to explain the force’s decisions over partygate after pictures emerged of Mr Johnson drinking at a gathering for which he was not fined.