Publish Sue Gray’s No 10 parties report in full, Starmer urges PMon January 26, 2022 at 1:46 pm

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged Boris Johnson to publish the official report into Downing Street parties in full.

Senior official Sue Gray’s findings on what went on under Covid restrictions could come later on Wednesday.

At a heated Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir told Mr Johnson he should quit and was “doing damage” to the UK’s reputation.

But Mr Johnson said he was “getting on with the job” and would stay on.

House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle repeatedly had to tell MPs to stop shouting during the exchanges.

The BBC understands that Ms Gray’s report is essentially completed, but she has not sent it to the prime minister yet, although it is still expected that this will happen at some point during Wednesday.

Sir Lindsay also said he would be “more than happy” to suspend the proceedings of the Commons to give MPs time to read the report ahead of a statement.

Mr Johnson has previously apologised for attending a “bring-your-own-booze” event in the No 10 garden on 20 May 2020, during the first lockdown, saying he thought it was a “work event”.

Reports of a birthday party held for Mr Johnson in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 have also come to light this week.

And Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has said the force is looking into potential breaches of Covid laws at a number of events in government buildings since 2020.

In the Commons, Sir Keir said the prime minister had previously told MPs that “all guidance was followed” in Downing Street over gatherings during Covid lockdowns.

He added: “So since he acknowledges the ministerial code [governing standards of behaviour and forbidding ministers from misleading the Commons] applies to him, will he now resign?”

Mr Johnson replied: “No… Since he asked about Covid restrictions, let me just remind the House, and indeed remind the country, that he has been relentlessly opportunistic throughout.

“He has flip-flopped from one side to the other. He would have kept us in lockdown in the summer. He would have taken us back into lockdown at Christmas.”

Sir Lindsay threatened MPs who disrupted proceedings by shouting with expulsion from the Commons chamber.

“Tensions are running high but what we need to be able to do is allow the people out there, who have gone about their duties, to hear what’s said on both sides – so please let’s give the respect our constituents deserve,” he said.

Amid continued noise, Sir Keir said: “The prime minister’s continual defence is ‘Wait for the Sue Gray report’. On 8 December he told this House, ‘I will place a copy of the report in the library of the House of Commons’.

“His spokesperson has repeatedly stated that means the full report, not parts of the report, not a summary of the report, not an edited copy. So, can the prime minister confirm that he will publish the full Sue Gray report as he receives it?”

Mr Johnson replied: “We’ve got to leave the report to the independent investigator, as he knows, of course when I receive it, I will do exactly what I said.”

The SNP’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, asked Conservative MPs to “show the prime minister the door” by triggering a leadership contest.

Some Tory MPs have already demanded Mr Johnson’s resignation, but many others say they are waiting for the Gray report before deciding whether to submit letters of no confidence in him.

At least 54 of them must write to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, to set up a vote on the prime minister’s future.