PMQs Live – 25/05 – ‘Downing street is rotten from the top’

A summary of the most damning elements in the Sue Gray report from the Times’ Steven Swinford.

The worst of Gray report:

* Excessive drinking, staff being sick

* Partying until 4.35am on eve of Prince Phillip's funeral

* Red wine on walls

* Abuse of cleaning staff & security staff

* Warnings about parties ignored

* Martin Reynolds: 'We seem to have got away with it'

— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) May 25, 2022

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Back to the Sue Gray report, and this is what it says about a particularly raucous Christmas party on 18 December 2020.

An ‘awards ceremony’took place, at around 19.45. A No 10 official sent a message to one of the WhatsApp groups at 19.49 stating ‘prize giving now guys, return’. The investigation was informed that this was an extension of the type of awards ceremony which might take place on ‘Wine Time Friday’. Those present gathered together at the meeting table in the small area outside the main Press Office. Awards certificates were handed out to staff by Jack Doyle, a senior special adviser. There were about 30 certificates prepared, although not all those awarded certificates were present. The ceremony lasted between 10-25 minutes and between 15 and 45 people were in the room during that time.

At approximately 19.45 that evening, a panic alarm button was accidentally triggered by a member of staff. The custodians on duty responded, as did one of the police officers on No 10 door duty. They observed a large number of people in the area outside of the main Press Office and one individual giving a speech. Inside the Press Office a further 15-20 people were present.

There was food and alcohol available which had been bought and brought in by staff. Some members of staff drank excessively. The event was crowded and noisy 32 such that some people working elsewhere in the No 10 building that evening heard significant levels of noise coming from what they characterised as a ‘party’ in the Press Office. A cleaner who attended the room the next morning noted that there had been red wine spilled on one wall and on a number of boxes of photocopier paper.

The event lasted for several hours, with varying levels of attendance throughout, including because officials left to attend official meetings. Attendance peaked during the awards ceremony. No 10 exit logs show a number of members of staff remaining in the office until after midnight.

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Downing Street is rotten from the top – Labour

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner tweets her verdict on the report’s findings: “It’s indefensible.

“Boris Johnson’s Downing Street is rotten from the very top.

“He set the culture. It happened on his watch. It’s on him.

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It’s clear many events weren’t ‘off the cuff’ 

 Iain Watson / Political correspondent (BBC) 

As Sue Gray has now provided the detail that was missing from her January update, it has become crystal clear just how many of these events were not “off the cuff” or drinking at the desk.

Instead, many of them – not the just the controversial “bring your own booze events” – were planned in advance.

The press office Christmas party in 2020 – which was initially revealed in the Mirror – was originally billed as a “Wine & Cheese Evening” but there must have been a recognition that this could fall foul of the rules, as it was subsequently rebadged as an “End of Year Meeting with Wine & Cheese”.

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Any other PM would be forced to resign –  Lib Dem leader

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has given his response to the report, writing on Twitter: “The Sue Gray report lays bare the shocking failures of leadership by Boris Johnson and shows why he’s not fit to lead our country.

“Any other PM would be forced to resign by a report as damaging as this, yet still Conservative MPs defend Johnson and allow him to cling on.”