Boris clings on as coup plotters bide their time: PM avoids immediate leadership challenge

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Boris Johnson has landed a temporary reprieve from any immediate threat to his leadership as Tory MPs appeared to be satisfied by promises to overhaul the operation of No10 in response to the partygate saga.

The Prime Minister was earlier lashed by Tories as he delivered a half-apology to the Commons after the Sue Gray report condemned ‘failures of leadership and judgment’ in Downing Street.

The senior civil servant handed a dossier of 300 Partygate photographs and 500 pages of written evidence to Scotland Yard, as detectives probe lockdown-breaching parties in Whitehall.

Scotland Yard is now examining eight dates on which events are said to have taken place. The Prime Minister is understood to have attended at least four gatherings being probed by the police, including a ‘bring your own booze’ garden party and a birthday party where he was ‘ambushed by cake’. Two of the events the Met is investigating had not been reported on.

The report prompted criticism from across the House on Monday, with former Prime Minister Theresa May saying Mr Johnson either ‘didn’t read the rules’ or thought they ‘didn’t apply’ to No10. ‘Which is it?’ she demanded.

But by the time Mr Johnson met with parliamentarians in a rare gathering of the whole Conservative party later, a U-turn which promised to publish the eventual report in full and promises to shake up how No10 and the Cabinet Office are run appeared to have calmed tensions, at least for the time being. 

The Prime Minister had earlier repeatedly refused in the House to commit to publishing the full version of Ms Gray’s report, but No10 later declared that an ‘update’ would be issued.

But the threat of a vote of no confidence has not yet been defeated by Mr Johnson as he still faces hostility from his own MPs. Former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell told Mr Johnson he ‘no longer enjoys my support’ and Tory MP Angela Richardson said she had quit as a ministerial aide to Michael Gove, sharing her ‘deep disappointment’ at the handling of the partygate row  

In the Lords, ex-Whitehall chief and independent crossbencher Lord Kerslake said: ‘Even without the detail the general findings are utterly damning. This goes to the heart of government. Can government be trusted to do the right thing and tell the truth? It’s hard to think of anything more important than that.’

But Leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said the ‘mood was positive’ among Conservatives following an evening meeting on the Parliamentary estate.

He added: ‘So many people voted personally for Boris Johnson rather than voting for political parties.

‘Politicians have to accept that our bosses are the British people, and they voted for that, they put him in office.’

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow acknowledged it had been a ‘difficult day’ but said there was support for Mr Johnson.

Mr Bristow said he left ‘absolutely pumped’ and added that nobody in the meeting had called for Mr Johnson to go.

The change in mood came as No 10 confirmed the PM would ask Ms Gray to produce a second report after the police investigation concludes, and committed to publishing it.

But Ms Gray’s full report and the result of the police probe could yet threaten his premiership again, and Mr Johnson’s former chief aide Dominic cummings is due to questions on the report online on Tuesday which could provide more damaging details.

Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie also face being questioned by detectives probing lockdown-breaching Whitehall parties ‘within days’, it emerged tonight. 

Detectives are poring over a dossier of 300 Partygate photos with Carrie Johnson‘s alleged Abba bash now one of 12 under investigation.  

Scotland Yard is examining eight dates on which events are said to have taken place and a spokesman said last night that it had gathered 500 pages of information. 

Detectives also said they were looking into a bash said to have taken place in the Prime Minister’s Downing Street flat to mark the departure of Dominic Cummings in November 2020.

It was claimed at the weekend that Abba music was played at a victory party attended by Mrs Johnson after her husband’s former chief adviser had left with his belongings in a box.

The couple insist the party did not take place – a denial the Prime Minister repeated in the Commons yesterday.

But Sue Gray’s report listed the event as one which the civil servant said was in the scope of her inquiry. It means the Prime Minister and his wife could be fined. 

The Met said the photographs were handed over by the Cabinet Office on Friday and officers were sifting through them to determine which individuals needed to be questioned further.

Those individuals will be sent a series of questions by post or email before officers decide whether they should be fined for breaching Covid regulations. 

Tonight sources told The Sun such questioning could be just ‘days away’.      

Ms Gray said she was ‘extremely limited’ in what she could publish in her report due to the police requesting ‘minimal reference’ to incidents they are investigating – but she made clear she wants to release more information once the investigation is completed, something No10 has so far refused to commit to.   

The Prime Minister is said to be keen for the report to come out and told a friend last night: ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’d love to have the whole thing published. I’m as confident as I can be they won’t find fault with what I’ve done.’

Mr Rees-Mogg suggested the images should also be published, as he said: ‘The more people see, the more understanding there will be of precisely what went on.’ 

However, its publication is likely to be a moment of maximum danger, with some allies of Mr Johnson fearing it could be the trigger for a coup by disgruntled Tory MPs. 

Ms Gray revealed in her report that police are now investigating twelve bashes as potentially criminal – including four allegedly attended by the PM and some involving wife Carrie. In a worrying sign for Mr Johnson detectives have been handed an astonishing 300 photographs.

Running the gauntlet of the Commons an hour after the six-page report was finally published, Mr Johnson admitted people had been forced to make ‘sacrifices’ in lockdown and he understood their ‘anger’. 

He said he was now making changes, hinting at a clearout of top aides and announcing the creation of an Office of the Prime Minister to support him. 

‘I get it and I will fix it,’ he said. 

But the contrition did not last long, as he used the ongoing police probe as a shield and bullishly insisted he is ‘getting on with the job I was elected to do’ – ‘delivering’ on issues such as Brexit and levelling up. 

He said that was what the public ‘want us to focus on’ instead of ‘talking about ourselves’.

No10 made clear that no officials have been sacked, although a notorious wine fridge is apparently being removed from the building and restrictions could be imposed on drinking at desks. 

Mr Johnson faced angry Tory MPs in Westminster on Monday night, telling them he ‘nearly died’ from Covid as a sign he took it seriously. The Prime Minister arrived at the meeting of the parliamentary party to muted cheers, flanked by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.

The first ministerial resignation emerged on Monday night as Guildford MP Angela Richardson revealed she quit as an aide to Michael Gove over Partygate last week.

In a statement on Facebook, she said: ‘Sue Gray’s report published today clearly states that there were failings at Number Ten Downing Street that let us all down.’ 

Keir Starmer said it was now clear Mr Johnson himself is under criminal investigation, branding him a ‘man with no shame’ for not quitting. 

‘By routinely breaking the rules he set, the Prime Minister took us all for fools, he held people’s sacrifice in contempt, he showed himself unfit for office,’ he said.

‘But Prime Minister, the British public aren’t fools, they never believed a word of it, they think the Prime Minister should do the decent thing and resign.

‘Of course he won’t because he is a man without shame and just as he has done throughout his life, he’s damaged everyone and everything around him along the way.’

And he was joined by a slew of Conservatives during the marathon 113-minute session – raising fresh questions over whether the 54 letters from MPs needed to trigger a confidence vote might be sent soon. 

In a brutal intervention, Theresa May said Mr Johnson either ‘didn’t read the rules’ or thought they ‘didn’t apply’ to No10. ‘Which is it?’ she demanded.

Former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell attacked the premier in the chamber saying he was ‘deeply concerned’ about some of the things the PM had said at the despatch box.

‘I have to tell him he no longer enjoys my support,’ he said. 

Grandee Bernard Jenkin warned that Tory MPs don’t need lessons on how to remove ‘failing’ leaders, suggesting Mr Johnson only has ‘months’ to show he can recover.

Red Wall MP Aaron Bell said he had gone to a funeral in lockdown and not stayed for a cup of tea afterwards, asking: ‘Does the PM think I am a fool?’  

In stormy exchanges – that saw SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford kicked out for accusing the premier of ‘wilfully’ misleading the House – Mr Johnson said he ‘stood by’ previous words seemingly denying parties had happened. 

He dodged questions about specific parties, insisting everyone must wait for the police probe to finish.

Mr Johnson repeatedly refused in the House to commit to publishing the full version of Ms Gray’s report, but No10 later declared that an ‘update’ would be issued. 

The Metropolitan Police said officers were reviewing ‘at pace’ more than 300 images and 500 pages of information handed over by the Cabinet Office to work out who they need to question further.    

Those individuals will be sent a series of questions by post or email before officers decide whether they should be fined for breaching Covid regulations.

Commander Catherine Roper said in a pooled broadcast interview that the fines in question would not be the penalties of thousands of pounds that were faced by some members of the public who organised large gatherings. 

The Met confirmed they are investigating events on eight different dates at Downing Street and the Cabinet Office.

The first is May 20 2020, the day of the ‘bring your own booze’ party held after Number 10 official Martin Reynolds, emailed 100 members of staff inviting them to a drinks event.

Next is June 18 when there was a gathering at the Cabinet office on the departure of a No 10 private secretary; and June 19 when there was a get-together in the Cabinet room in No 10 Downing Street on the Prime Minister’s 56th  birthday.

Also under the spotlight are events on November 13, the night of the departure of Dominic Cummings, the day when there was one gathering in the Downing Street flat and another in No 10 Downing Street.

Police are investigating dates which have been linked to Christmas parties in the Cabinet Office on December 17 and Downing Street on December 18, and leaving drinks for the former head of the Government’s Covid Taskforce Kate Josephs.

They are also looking at dates when drinks were held at Number 10 on January 14 on the departure of two private secretaries; and leaving events for James Slack, Mr Johnson’s former director of communications, and one of the Prime Minister’s personal photographers in Downing Street on April 16 2021, the day before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.   

Mr Johnson is said to have been at his own birthday celebration, BYOB gathering, and two leaving dos for senior aides where he gave speeches. 

Rishi Sunak could also be involved, as he is understood to have briefly attended the birthday ‘party’ – although it was breaking up as he entered the room to attend a Covid strategy meeting. 

In a statement, the Met said: ‘Having received the documentation from the Cabinet Office on Friday 28 January, we are now reviewing it at pace to confirm which individuals will need to be contacted for their account. This prioritisation will include reviewing all the material from the Cabinet Office, which includes more than 300 images and over 500 pages of information.’  

‘If following an investigation, officers believe it is appropriate, because the Covid regulations have been breached without a reasonable excuse, a fixed penalty notice would normally be issued. Once the penalty is paid, the matter is considered closed.

‘Alternatively individuals may decide to dispute the notice. In these circumstances officers will consider whether to pursue the matter in a magistrates’ court.’

The force addressed controversy over its request to Ms Gray to make minimal reference to the events under investigation in her update, saying: ‘In any investigation officers seek independent accounts from each individual, as free from the influence of others’ recollections as possible.

‘Officers would also seek to avoid providing details of their investigation in advance to those they contact, so that individuals are not tempted to shape their accounts according to what is in the public domain.

‘This is a standard approach in all investigations to ensure that how people engage with our investigation is not prejudiced, and not a judgment on the individuals who attended these specific events.’

In the document – which runs to just six pages plus annexes – Ms Gray said she is ‘extremely limited’ in what she could publish due to police requesting ‘minimal reference’ to incidents they are investigating.

And she made clear that she wants to release more information once Scotland Yard has completed its work – something No10 has so far refused to commit to.  

Mr Johnson published the watered down ‘as received’ barely an hour before he started the Commons statement at 3.30pm. He will address a meeting of the Conservative parliamentary party at 6.30pm. 

The report was worse than many MPs had expected, with rumours swirling at Westminster that key aides will have to fall on their swords.

Mr Johnson was previously said to feel ‘reassured’ that the threat of a successful coup against him by Tory backbenchers has receded.

But the crisis over Ukraine could overshadow the Partygate saga, with the premier visiting the country tomorrow and demanding Vladimir Putin steps back from the brink of invasion. Mr Johnson admitted in the Commons that he had been forced to delay a call to Mr Putin this evening. ‘I will be speaking to President Putin as soon as I can’    

Mr Johnson has been assisted to some extent by glimmers of a recovery in the polls – although the Conservatives are still trailing Labour.

It has also emerged that police are likely to hand out any fixed penalty notices to lockdown breachers without making their names public – an approach that could limit embarrassment.

In other developments during more political chaos in Westminster:

Mr Johnson is expected to visit Ukraine tomorrow amid desperate efforts to defuse the standoff with Russia over Ukraine; New government sanctions have been unveiled that could target oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin; Former Cabinet minister Lord Frost has dismissed suggestions he could become the PM’s new chief of staff in a ‘reset’ after the Partygate report, saying he does not agree with the national insurance hike; Dominic Cummings has stepped up his attack on Mr Johnson branding him a ‘babbling f***wit’ and saying getting him out of No10 is like ‘fixing the drains’. 

The Gray report warned that ‘excessive consumption of alcohol’ is not appropriate at the heart of government. 

Her brutal conclusions stated: ‘Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify. 

‘At least some of the gatherings in question 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. 

‘At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public. 

‘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. 

She added: ‘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.’ 

Kicking off his statement, Mr Johnson said he accepted Ms Gray’s ‘general conclusions’. 

‘Firstly, I want to say sorry – and I’m sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled,’ he said.

‘It’s no use saying this or that was within the rules and it’s no use saying people were working hard. This pandemic was hard for everyone.’

He added: ‘I get it, and I will fix it. I want to say to the people of this country I know what the issue is.’

Rising to respond to Mr Johnson’s statement, Mrs May said: ‘The Covid regulations imposed significant restrictions on the freedoms of members of the public. They had a right to expect their Prime Minister to have read the rules, to understand the meaning of the rules and indeed those around him to have done so too and to set an example in following those rules.

‘What the Gray report does show is that Number 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public, so either my right honourable friend had not read the rules or didn’t understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn’t think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?’

Mr Johnson replied: ‘No, that is not what the Gray report says, I suggest that she waits to see the conclusion of the inquiry.’

Soon afterwards Mr Mitchell waded in, saying: ‘Does he recall that ever since he joined the party’s candidates list 30 years ago until we got him into Number 10 he has enjoyed my full-throated support?

‘But I am deeply concerned by these events and very concerned indeed by some of the things he has said from that despatch box and has said to the British public and our constituents.

‘When he kindly invited me to see him 10 days ago, I told him that I thought he should think very carefully about what was now in the best interests of our country and of the Conservative Party, and I have to tell him he no longer enjoys my support.’

The Prime Minister replied: ‘I must tell him respectfully, my right honourable friend, great though the admiration is that I have of him, I simply think that he is mistaken in his views and urge him to reconsider upon full consideration of the inquiry.’

Mr Johnson repeatedly failed to commit to publish the Sue Gray report in full once the police investigation has concluded.

Conservative former chief whip Mark Harper told the Commons: ‘The question here is whether those who make the law, obey the law. That’s pretty fundamental.

‘Many have questioned, including my constituents, the Prime Minister’s honesty, integrity and fitness to hold that office. In judging him he rightly asked us to wait for all the facts.

‘Sue Gray has made it clear in her update today that she couldn’t produce a meaningful report with the facts.

‘So could I ask the Prime Minister the question (Labour MP Diane Abbott) asked him and to which he didn’t give an answer: when Sue Gray produces all of the facts in her full report after the police investigation, will he commit to publish it immediately and in full?’

Mr Johnson replied: ‘What we’ve got to do is wait for the police to conclude their inquiries, that is the proper thing to do. People have given all sorts of evidence in the expectation that it would not necessarily be published, at that stage I will take a decision about what to publish.’

One of the most pointed remarks came from usually-loyal backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin. Sir Bernard noted that the ‘back benches of the Conservative Party need no reminders about how to dispose of a failing leader’.

And he suggested that Mr Johnson has only ‘months’ to show he can get No10 into shape. 

‘Can he also, when he is restructuring Number 10, concentrate on the fact that the country wants results, we can’t see the point of such a large Number 10 super-structure, that it needs to be slimmed down and streamlined, and can I commend his determination to restore cabinet government and it is on results over the next few months on which he will be judged,’ he said.

Mr Johnson replied: ‘I’m more than content to be judged on the results, what we’ve already delivered and the results that we will deliver.’

Conservative MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme Mr Bell spoke emotionally about his grandmother’s lockdown funeral.

‘It seems a lot of people attended events in May 2020 – the one I recall attending was my grandmother’s funeral,’ he said.

‘She was a wonderful woman. As well as a love for her family she served her community as a councillor and she served Dartford Conservative Association loyally for many years.

‘I drove for three hours from Staffordshire to Kent, there were only 10 at the funeral, many people who loved her had to watch online.

‘I didn’t hug my siblings, I didn’t hug my parents, I gave the eulogy and then afterwards I didn’t even go to her house for cup of tea. I drove back three hours from Kent to Staffordshire. Does the Prime Minister think I’m a fool?’

Mr Johnson replied: ‘No, and I want to thank (him) and I want to say how deeply I sympathise with him and his family for their loss, and all I can say is again that I’m very, very sorry for misjudgments that may have been made by me or anybody else in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office.’

Conservative Duncan Baker said: ‘North Norfolk consistently had some of the lowest levels of infection in the country. We followed the rules.

‘So many of my constituents have been incensed, the damage that this is doing to the Government is enormous. It is about integrity and trust.

‘Can I ask again, because people want to know, how can the Prime Minister now satisfy my constituents and assure me that full accountability and transparency on the findings of the final Gray report will swiftly follow?’

Earlier, Sir Keir told MPs: ‘By routinely breaking the rules he set, the Prime Minister took us all for fools, he held people’s sacrifice in contempt, he showed himself unfit for office.

‘His desperate denials since he was exposed have only made matters worse. Rather than come clean, every step of the way he’s insulted the public’s intelligence.

‘And now he’s finally fallen back on his usual excuse: it’s everybody’s fault but his. They go, he stays. Even now he is hiding behind a police investigation into criminality in his home and his office.

‘He gleefully treats what should be a mark of shame as a welcome shield. But Prime Minister, the British public aren’t fools, they never believed a word of it, they think the Prime Minister should do the decent thing and resign.

‘Of course he won’t because he is a man without shame and just as he has done throughout his life, he’s damaged everyone and everything around him along the way.’

Ms Gray’s report said: ‘The use of the garden at No 10 Downing Street should be primarily for the Prime Minister and the private residents of No 10 and No 11 Downing Street. 

‘During the pandemic it was often used as an extension of the workplace as a more covid secure means of holding group meetings in a ventilated space. 

‘This was a sensible measure that staff appreciated, but the garden was also used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight. 

‘This was not appropriate. Any official access to the space, including for meetings, should be by invitation only and in a controlled environment.’

Three new gatherings not previously revealed were included in Sue Gray’s investigations.

These were a gathering in the Cabinet Office on June 18, 2020, to mark the leaving of a No10 private secretary, a third gathering on December 17, 2020 – on top of two already reported – to mark the departure of a No 10 official in Downing Street, and a new event on January 14, 2021, also in No 10, when two private secretaries left.

Two previously reported gatherings were not included in her inquiry.

These were drinks held at the Treasury on November 25, 2020 and drinks at the Department for Transport on December 16, 2020.

On the Treasury drinks, a spokesman said at the time: ‘We have been made aware that a small number of those staff had impromptu drinks around their desks after the event.’

A DfT spokesperson said: ‘Fewer than a dozen staff who were working in the office had a low-key, socially distanced gathering in the large open-plan office after work on December 16, where food and drink was consumed.

‘We recognise this was inappropriate and apologise for the error of judgment.’

Asked before the publication why the release has so far been characterised as an ‘update’, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘It’s a reflection of the fact there is an ongoing police investigation and the Met have been clear about what their expectations are about what can or cannot be put in the public domain while that’s ongoing.’

Push on whether more would be published in future, he said: ‘Obviously we will need to consider what might be appropriate and we are discussing with the Cabinet Office team in due course about what might be appropriate, but at the moment it is unclear how the ongoing Met Police investigation might interact with any further work on that. But obviously it’s something we will want to keep under review.’

Pressed on whether the public will see a fuller report after the Met investigation, the spokesman said: ‘That’s one of the things I can’t confirm at this point simply because we need to discuss that with the Met and others about what is suitable.’

Before the publication, Will Walden, who advised Mr Johnson during his time as London mayor, said Mr Johnson had ‘used up quite a lot of lives’ on Partygate but the report had ‘landed pretty well for him’.

He told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One programme: ‘It’s a mess. It’s probably bad for democracy but inadvertently good for the PM.

‘He’s used up quite a lot of lives over this but I think it’s landed pretty well for him.

‘I think he has the benefit of seeing what appears to be a heavily redacted report, he doesn’t have long to respond but he’s responding to frankly what is going to be not a lot. And I suspect that can only help him.’

Nikka da Costa, Mr Johnson’s former director of legislative affairs, voiced disbelief at No10 refusing to confirm that Ms Gray’s full report will be published at a later date.  

She predicted that if Downing Street tried to block the release Labour would call an Opposition Day debate.

‘Then MPs will be whipped to oppose? And how will that be portrayed publicly? What is the strategy behind this line?’ she tweeted.  

Ms da Costa wrote in The Times overnight that the PM had shot down plans to allow bereaved families to set up bubbles with their close relatives when last year’s lockdown restrictions began to ease over fears it would ‘send the wrong message to the public’.

Costa said the veto came just weeks before Downing Street staff held two booze-filled leaving parties on the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. 

The former No10 official said she was ‘angry’ when she hears allies of Mr Johnson to ‘get a sense of proportion’ in response to allegations of No10 parties. 

‘If we in No 10 could be that hard-hearted because we thought it was the right thing to do, then those involved in those kinds of decisions also owed it to the country to be as hard on themselves and their own conduct,’ Costa wrote. 

She added: ‘If No 10 failed in that as a collective, as it seems clear, it needs to be recognised as a failure of and by those at the top.’ 

The Mail on Sunday revealed that as part of her inquiry into socialising in Mr Johnson‘s No 10 flat, Ms Gray has been told about a ‘victory party’ held by friends of Carrie.

The bash allegedly happened on the night of November 13, 2020, after Dominic Cummings had left with his belongings in a box.

He had allegedly lost a power struggle with the then Ms Symonds and other advisers.

‘There was the sound of lots of banging and dancing and drinking, and a number of Abba tracks – including a triumphalist Winner Takes It All,’ a source said.

A spokesman for Mrs Johnson said: ‘It is totally untrue to suggest Mrs Johnson held a party in the Downing Street flat on November 13, 2020.’

It has been claimed that a tipsy Downing Street staffer boasted to police that they ‘we’re the only ones allowed to party’ as they left one gathering.

A witness is claimed to have reported the jibe to Ms Gray’s inquiry, according to the Sun.  

Last week the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announced officers have launched a criminal inquiry after assessing a dossier of evidence compiled by Ms Gray. 

But the force has clarified it is looking at potential Covid breaches that are dealt with by fixed-term penalty notices. 

The Times highlighted that staff are unlikely to be publicly identified if they accept a penalty notice and do not contest the breach in court. 

Under police guidance, individuals are only named if they are charged and expected to appear in court.

Scotland Yard admitted last week it had asked Whitehall’s ethics tsar to ‘water down’ her document while the force conducts a criminal probe that may not conclude for months.  

The highly controversial move has seen Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick accused of ‘an abuse of power’ by ‘interfering’ with the investigation and demanding that Miss Gray remove key details which are central to the row over ‘parties’ in No10.  

 

Boris Johnson will visit Ukraine TOMORROW in show of support for nation as he urges Vladimir Putin to ‘step back from the brink’ of invasion 

Boris Johnson will visit Ukraine tomorrow in a show of support for the country – after warning Vladimir Putin to ‘step back from the brink’ of invasion.

Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister would sidestep the fallout from the Sue Gray Partygate report by travelling to Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.

That journey, made with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, will take place after an expected phone call with Putin today, as tens of thousands of Russian troops maintain their position close to the Ukraine border.

Fears of an imminent Russian incursion in Ukraine have grown in recent days, despite denials from Moscow and pleas from Zelensky to avoid stirring ‘panic’ over the military build-up on the border. 

Mr Johnson said today he will reiterate that an invasion would be ‘bitterly and bloodily resisted’ by Kiev’s forces – as well as having major repercussions internationally. 

Speaking to reporters in Essex this morning, Mr Johnson said: ‘What I will say to President Putin, as I have said before, is that I think we really all need to step back from the brink.

‘I think Russia needs to step back from the brink. I think that an invasion of Ukraine, any incursion into Ukraine beyond the territory that Russia has already taken in 2014 would be an absolute disaster for the world, and above all it would be a disaster for Russia.’    

As well as visiting Ukraine, the Foreign Secretary will head on to Moscow for talks. 

Diplomatic efforts are ramping up as Putin-backing oligarchs were warned there will be ‘nowhere to hide’ from new UK sanctions.

The Foreign Office is set to announce details of enhanced measures that could be used against ‘strategic interests’ of the Russian state. 

Targets could include financial institutions and energy firms as well as Mr Putin’s wealthy supporters. 

Meanwhile, former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers has insisted Russia can be deterred from pushing ahead with an invasion if the West makes clear there will be ‘costs’. 

‘It took all that time to produce EIGHT pages’: Anger and mockery as long-awaited Sue Gray report on No10 partygate is published (and is just as lacking in detail as many predicted) 

Britons today mocked the long-awaited Sue Gray report into Downing Street parties during lockdown for being a ‘whitewash’, with one tweeting: ‘You mean it took Sue Gray all that time just to produce 8 pages of content?’

A limited version of the senior civil servant’s report into the parties held between May 2020 and April 2021 was published today and condemned a ‘serious failure’ to observe the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government.

Social media users had earlier jokingly predicted that some of the report – which was issued at about 2.20pm today – would say ‘this page is left intentionally blank’. In reality, the second page actually stated: ‘This page intentionally blank’.

Others used the ‘I dunno, I think that’s a bit dodgy mate’ Inbetweeners meme when summarising the report as a ‘TLDR’ version – meaning ‘too long; didn’t read’.

Addressing angry MPs in the House of Commons today, Mr Johnson told MPs he will overhaul the operation in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office to address the concerns raised in the report, adding: ‘I get it and I will fix it.’

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford was ordered to leave the Commons for failing to withdraw claims that the Prime Minister had misled the House.

Ms Gray has been working on the report since December 17 last year, meaning it has taken more than six weeks to be published. 

The Cabinet Office said that Ms Gray had provided an ‘update’ on her investigation to the Prime Minister, suggesting it was not the full report she was preparing before the Metropolitan Police intervened. Scotland Yard last week asked Ms Gray to make only ‘minimal reference’ to gatherings being investigated by its officers. 

Downing Street has so far refused to commit to publishing a fuller version of Ms Gray’s findings once the police investigation has concluded.

The version of Ms Gray’s report published online said ‘it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public’.

The Downing Street garden was used for gatherings ‘without clear authorisation or oversight’ in a way that was ‘not appropriate’. The report reveals 12 events are being investigated by the police, including a gathering in the Downing Street flat and an event to mark Boris Johnson’s birthday in June 2020. 

Here are some of the best memes posted following its publication this afternoon: 

Earlier, Britons raised concerns over a ‘whitewash’ today after Sue Gray finally handed Boris Johnson a version of her inquiry into allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street

. People took to social media to share joke images surrounding the news such as a ’50 Shades of Sue Gray’ spoof, and a Hermes ‘sorry we missed you’ delivery note. 

Others posted pictures of a completely-redacted piece of paper and the popular Titanic ‘it’s been 84 years’ meme in a gag about how long the report has taken.

And here are some of the memes posted before the report was revealed: