Sue Gray report and photos to be released today.

Andrea Leadsom's statement on the Sue Gray report (possibly only sent out to those who have contacted her on the matter). It doesn't start out very promising, but does sound more hopeful as she goes on.

I really hope she takes a clear stance against Johnson, otherwise her words are hollow and meaningless.

Statement to South Northamptonshire residents on Sue Gray Report

30 May 2022
Sue Gray’s report into alleged gatherings on Government premises during Covid restrictions has now been published, and you can read it in full here:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/findings-of-the-second-permanent-secretarys-investigation-into-alleged-gatherings-on-government-premises-during-covid-restrictions

I think that the Prime Minister was right to commission Sue Gray to carry out her investigation which led to this report. It is clear that he was personally shocked by its findings, and it was right that he humbly apologised to the nation and to all those who lost loved ones. He also apologised to support staff in No 10 and the Cabinet Office who were treated disrespectfully by certain staff, whose behaviour was particularly abhorrent and unacceptable.

I note that the thorough investigation by the Metropolitan Police concluded that rule breaking by the Prime Minister personally was limited to a surprise birthday party organised for him. This confirms the Prime Minister’s statement that he was not personally involved in any lockdown breaches. I have every confidence in our police and am grateful to them for their integrity and professionalism in carrying out such a high profile investigation.

On studying the report carefully, however, it is painfully clear to me that given the extent and severity of rule breaking taking place over a 20 month period, it is extremely unlikely that senior leaders were unaware of what was going on. I therefore agree with Sue Gray’s conclusions that there have been significant failures of leadership, both political and official, in No 10 and the Cabinet Office.

I believe in the importance of high standards of integrity, and that Members of Parliament must strive to be good role models, very specifically because we are the lawmakers and therefore in a trusted position of power and authority. I am determined to be clear about my views as a matter of personal integrity – the conclusion I have drawn from the Sue Gray report is that there have been unacceptable failings of leadership that cannot be tolerated and are the responsibility of the Prime Minister.

Each of my Conservative MP colleagues and I must now decide individually on what is the right course of action that will restore confidence in our government.

Have we ever had a time like this where letters of no confidence in the PM are constantly being written over a long period of time?

Still more to come. I don’t think he can hide behind staff for this party. Maybe behind Carrie?
www.itv.com/news/2022-05-30/no10-refuses-to-deny-carrie-johnson-held-flat-party-on-pms-2020-birthday

Boz

And. Having voted Tory most of my life (voted for Blair) I will have to vote Lib. or Lab. next time to get rid of this terrible government. And I tell you, as Mrs. Average Voter, where my vote goes others follow.

???

We can’t go on as we are it is quite dreadful

And. Having voted Tory most of my life (voted for Blair) I will have to vote Lib. or Lab. next time to get rid of this terrible government. And I tell you, as Mrs. Average Voter, where my vote goes others follow.

Also, just because someone is "witchhunted" doesn't mean they are as innocent as the driven snow. It is sometimes deserved.

OakDryad

I've been reading the Dan Sabbagh story in today's papers about the Russian Coldriver hackers. This is the group believed to be behind the release of a cache of emails obtained from a former director of MI6 Richard Dearlove and other Brexiteers unhappy with Theresa May’s preference for a soft Brexit.

Its goals, the leaked document says, were to “block any deal” to leave the EU arising from the Chequers white paper, to “ensure that we leave on clean WTO terms” and “if necessary remove this prime minister {May] and replace with one fit for purpose [Johnson]”.

Correspondence was under the title “Very English Coop d’Etat”, claiming it revealed the existence of a shadowy group of pro-Brexit plotters. The website containing the emails is called Sneaky Strawhead.

... And so we got Sneaky Strawhead as PM ... and look where we are.

Johnson is being propped up by Brexiteers in the Tory Party. When he goes, they go and a further watering down of Brexit. The hope is that they will be outnumbered by decent MPs and Johnson given the boot.

Nannashirlz

Are we still going on about this ? as for his staff it sounds like while the boss is away the staff did play. Yes they were wrong but Don’t we have more important things to worry about like energy costs and food costs which affects us all

There are people in Ukraine fighting and losing their lives to defend their (and our) democracy. Strange as this may seem, there are people in this country who find defending our democracy equally important, even when in a crisis partly of the government's making.

So now we know that the Grey report is hardly worth the paper it is written on as it was presented to us.

We know that Johnson doctored it, and that Grey declined to investigate parties in No 10.

At least show us the full report and perhaps the committee can investigate the parties?

Youngatheart51

I cannot tell you how much I despise Johnson & the rest of the cabinet. While they was partying away my deaf dad was dying in hospital with no one able to comfort him & explain what was happening. My mum didn't get to see him before he passed. None of us could go to the under takers to say goodbye as due to him having covid he had to have a closed coffin. We had 15 to the funeral & after all had to go home & had to wait 6 months before we could have a "wake."
No matter what he does he will never ever take responsibility. He lies & lies until he is forced to tell the truth then he thinks saying sorry will fix everything. Well it won't. If that doesn't happen they manage to miraculously find money to help the needy thinking that will appease people. It may have if yesterday while Ruski Sunak was saying what they was giving to who Johnson wasn't sat there in full view openly mocking, pulling faces & pointing at the mps sat opposite him.
Unfortunately Starmer doesn't have the x factor or charisma that Tony Blair had (couldn't stand him either but would take him over Boris any day) Starmer looks perpetually worried. It's a shame Andy Burnham is no longer a Labour MP as he would give Johnson a run for his money.
The sooner Johnson & the rest of his yes men (& Nads) have gone the better for this country.

I don’t think Keir looks worried: he just looks serious. Something that people don’t expect in a politician these days. I’m so sorry about your father. My family got through the pandemic relatively unscathed so it saddens me to hear of such terrible things happening to people. . Rory Stewart was saying that Johnson just goes through life saying sorry but not really meaning it.

I cannot tell you how much I despise Johnson & the rest of the cabinet. While they was partying away my deaf dad was dying in hospital with no one able to comfort him & explain what was happening. My mum didn't get to see him before he passed. None of us could go to the under takers to say goodbye as due to him having covid he had to have a closed coffin. We had 15 to the funeral & after all had to go home & had to wait 6 months before we could have a "wake."
No matter what he does he will never ever take responsibility. He lies & lies until he is forced to tell the truth then he thinks saying sorry will fix everything. Well it won't. If that doesn't happen they manage to miraculously find money to help the needy thinking that will appease people. It may have if yesterday while Ruski Sunak was saying what they was giving to who Johnson wasn't sat there in full view openly mocking, pulling faces & pointing at the mps sat opposite him.
Unfortunately Starmer doesn't have the x factor or charisma that Tony Blair had (couldn't stand him either but would take him over Boris any day) Starmer looks perpetually worried. It's a shame Andy Burnham is no longer a Labour MP as he would give Johnson a run for his money.
The sooner Johnson & the rest of his yes men (& Nads) have gone the better for this country.

Fashionistal
There has been a witchunt mounted against Boris Johnson by the press and media the like of which has never been seen before

Not that I'm a fan, but I think Jeremy Corbyn might disagree with you.

... not to mention Ed Miliband in 2015.

BTW, which media are you referring to?

They wait yil after the sue gray report before announcing financial help to people for the gost of living. So manipulative. Time and again its deflecting attention from his misdemeanours. Our lives and working environments changed. Number 10 just drank and guwaffed their way through it all.

I simply cannot print what I really feel about this man and his sycophantic followers There are no words ! Decency and integrity are not words this government recognises !

I've been reading the Dan Sabbagh story in today's papers about the Russian Coldriver hackers. This is the group believed to be behind the release of a cache of emails obtained from a former director of MI6 Richard Dearlove and other Brexiteers unhappy with Theresa May’s preference for a soft Brexit.

Its goals, the leaked document says, were to “block any deal” to leave the EU arising from the Chequers white paper, to “ensure that we leave on clean WTO terms” and “if necessary remove this prime minister {May] and replace with one fit for purpose [Johnson]”.

Correspondence was under the title “Very English Coop d’Etat”, claiming it revealed the existence of a shadowy group of pro-Brexit plotters. The website containing the emails is called Sneaky Strawhead.

... And so we got Sneaky Strawhead as PM ... and look where we are.

volver I also smiled at the ad placements on the CH website, but more importantly I’m slightly heartened by the many comments I’ve read in the last two days from die-hard Conservative voters who have finally, finally, had enough and are saying that they can no longer support the Conservatives whilst the current PM and his cabal of equally truth twisting cabinet colleagues remain in situ.

One commenter painfully described how he was actually considering ‘voting red’.

There is hope!

Fashionistal
There has been a witchunt mounted against Boris Johnson by the press and media the like of which has never been seen before

?????
What 'anti Tory' press did you get that in - The Daily Mail? .

Bullingdon Club idiots run the country!

Aepgirl
Sick to death of this that happened over 2 years ago. So many other important things happening in this world

Release all the prisoners from prison whose crimes happened over two years ago! Or maybe not.

The PM has broken the law, allowed weekly parties fuelled with suit case loads of booze to take place in A National Emergency! It's scary to think that is the calibre of government we have running this country. Feckless Tories supporting a PM who lied to Parliament and has brought the office into disrepute. They depend on idiots saying 'ah, it happened over two years ago, let's forget about it'.

Somebody in Labour understands Google Adwords. They've bought all the advertising space on Conservative Home. ???

This is what it looks like. Might look different for you depending on your browsing history.

"Red wine spilled on walls, vomiting and even a bust-up. Sue Gray’s much anticipated report was a sobering read for the public on the booze-fuelled antics of government staff during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Following its publication, Boris Johnson had to face questions about his position, first during Prime Minister’s Questions and then at a tense press conference.

Ian Dunt was most interested in how Tory MPs would react in the face of such a damning report. How many would have the courage to speak out against the PM, he wondered? The answer: not many.

“Johnson’s excuses were literally unbelievable. He would sacrifice anyone for his own advancement. He was bringing his office into disrepute and disgracing the party he leads. But it is not a truth the Tory party is prepared to hear.

“Instead, they go grimly on. A zombie party, knowing what has happened is intolerable, and yet unable to admit it or act upon it. Every day they fail to do so, they take Johnson’s moral culpability and slather it on themselves.”

Heather Saul

"i" opinion

I would like/ hope that Tory MPs either demand a vote of no confidence, switch sides, tear him apart with their comments and generally give BJ a hard time.
However, today there is little evidence of any of these ideas happening so that make the Tory Party in my opinion, complicit in his behaviour. Shameful !

micmc47

In all my 75 years I have never been so ashamed of our so-called Government, which for some time now has been operating in a moral vacuum, where integrity and honesty have no place. As the Captain who has consistently steered his ship onto a succession of rocks, Johnson's reaction to these shameful revelations is to keep changing some of the crew, as if the responsibility for this disgraceful debacle somehow lies elsewhere. The man has no honour whatsoever, and if he continues to ignore public opinion and clings on to power regardless, the Conservative party will be rightly decimated at the next General Election. He should just go, and the sooner the better.

I hope you are right mcimc and the conservatives are defeated at the next election. If it was down to those of us who post on the N&P forum of GN, they certainly would.

Unfortunately I suspect that we, as a group, are not typical voters.

I suspect that the more typical voter has very little interest in or knowledge of politics, but reads the right wing press because they are interested in sport or celebs or other trivia, but along the way allow themselves to be instructed to vote Conservative by the billionaire newspaper proprietors who have their own agenda.

Urmstongran

Well you got off lightly there Fashionista1! ?

The post was so utterly daft it isn't worth a response, Urm.

Danma

I was at PMQs yesterday and of course stayed on to hear his statement following the release of Sue Gray’s report.
Nothing changed in his response to the initial accusations or his demeanour
No one gave him a particularly hard time over it either
???

He is treating it as a joke.

I'd like to see the smirk wiped off his face.