For months, Sue Grey’s report on rule-breaking on the coronary heart of Downing Avenue throughout the Covid pandemic has hung over Boris Johnson’s authorities like a darkish cloud. Each time a brand new image leaked or one other allegation surfaced, there was one message from No 10: await Sue Grey’s report. At the same time as members of the federal government – together with Johnson – and the civil service had been being issued with police fines, the message stayed the identical.
On Wednesday, it lastly arrived. As our political correspondent Peter Walker tells Nosheen Iqbal, the day felt an vital one from the very begin. Because the report landed on desks round Westminster, it was clear that the small print had been damning for Johnson’s authorities.
The columnist Jonathan Freedland was amongst these making an attempt to rapidly digest the report, which included particulars of a leaving occasion at which “one particular person was sick”, partying till 4am and messages warning drunken employees to go away by way of the again entrance.
Standing as much as give his assertion to parliament on the report, Johnson stated: “We’re humbled”, after which corrected himself to say: “I’m humbled.” However he didn’t say he could be resigning. As a substitute, he tried to place the matter behind him, insisting classes had been discovered and it was time to maneuver on. And whereas there are these in his occasion who really feel the episode may price them the following election, because the solar set on Sue Grey day, Boris Johnson stays, for now, in workplace
{Photograph}: Frank Augstein/AP
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