What Sue Gray’s edited report into alleged lockdown parties says

What Sue Gray’s edited report into alleged lockdown parties says

 

From 'failures of leadership’ to the misuse of the No 10 garden and the ‘excessive consumption of alcohol’

 

Read Sue Gray’s report

 

Peter Walker Political correspondent

@peterwalker99

Mon 31 Jan 2022 15.41 GMT

 

Sue Gray’s edited report into alleged lockdown-breaking parties in government is relatively brief (only 12 pages) but contains a series of important elements. Here is what it says.

 

There were serious failures of leadership

Gray’s conclusion is general, after police asked her to remove details of the majority of alleged events, which are being investigated for alleged offences, but damning in parts. At a time when ministers were asking citizens to severely limit their lives, “some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify”, she wrote.

 

Some gatherings “represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”, she said, adding: “There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”

 

Police are investigating 12 alleged social events

Gray’s report looked at 16 gatherings, on 12 dates between May 2020 and April 2021. Of these, the Metropolitan police are not looking at four of them. One alleged incident has not been previously reported, on 14 January 2021. It is described as “a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 private secretaries”.

 

This is not the report Gray intended

There is a particularly strongly worded section outlining how the police asked last week that Gray edit her report so that it not contain details of the events it was investigating. Gray makes it plain this should not be seen as the final word on the parties: “Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather.”

 

This means she cannot even give details of the four parties

To do so would be impossible “without detriment to the overall balance of the findings”, Gray said.

 

Gray will not divulge the other information – at least not yet

Having turned over information about the 12 alleged events to police, Gray said she would ensure the “secure storage and safekeeping of all the information gathered until such time as it may be required further”, adding: “I will not be circulating the information internally within government.”

 

Alcohol is too ubiquitous around No 10

Advertisement

 

Gray’s quote speaks for itself: “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time. Steps must be taken to ensure that every government department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”

 

The No 10 garden was misused

While saying it was “sensible” to hold outdoor staff meetings in the garden, Gray said the garden “was also used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight”.

 

Staff felt unable to speak up

Some staff wanted to raise concerns, the report found, “but at times felt unable to do so”. Gray added: “No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it.”

 

No 10 is too large and without proper direction

The number of staff has grown to near-departmental size, the report said, but leadership structures “are fragmented and complicated”.

 

No 10 and Cabinet Office staff worked hard in lockdown

The report noted: “Tight knit groups of officials and advisers worked long hours under difficult conditions in buildings that could not be easily adapted as Covid secure workplaces.”

 

But so did lots of other people

The report went on: “Those challenges, however, also applied to key and frontline workers across the country who were working under equally, if not more, demanding conditions, often at risk to their own health.”