Downing Street has denied that Boris Johnson asked Sue Gray to drop his investigation into Partygate in a secret meeting with the senior official earlier this month.
An anonymous Whitehall source was quoted as saying in The Times today that the Prime Minister had suggested to Mrs Gray that she could abandon her plans for publication, which was expected on Wednesday, wondering “Does it make sense now that everything is he out there? “
But Johnson’s official spokesman said today that he “did not recognize” the claim.
“The prime minister did not ask him to leave the report or not to proceed with the report,” the spokesman said. “It was the Prime Minister who commissioned the report and he wants it published.”
When asked if Mr. Johnson suggested that withholding the finished report was an option, the spokesman replied, “I don’t think that’s right.”
But he did not specifically deny that the prime minister had suggested that the report should not be published, as the details “were already here”, saying only: “I will not go in line by line. What may or may not have been said.” .
Johnson has repeatedly promised that the findings of the Whitehall Tangerine will be made public as close as possible to the way he delivers them to Downing Street. Assistants have said it may be necessary to write down some details for data protection reasons.
The dispute over the meeting came as pressure intensified on Mr Johnson for new photographs showing him toasting a staff member with wine at exit number 10 during the November 2020 Covid-19 blockade. .
In Westminster, disgruntled Conservative MPs said the image, which showed at least seven more people drinking without observing social distancing rules and a table full of bottles of alcohol, is likely to trigger more letters of distrust in Mr Johnson’s leadership. .
A MP who is considering sending a letter to the chairman of the 1922 committee of the back bank told The Independent: “Everything is rotten. You have to go.”
Downing Street was forced to admit Monday that Mr. Johnson’s meeting with Ms. Gray was instigated by No. 10 officials, following incorrect information over the weekend that the Whitehall Mandarin asked to speak to him.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that notes had been taken from his discussion, but insisted that, in accordance with standard practice, they would not be published. He said the timing and logistics of the publication were discussed, but not the content of the long-awaited report, which was delayed until the conclusion of the Metropolitan Police investigation into the containment festivities at No. 10 on 2020 and 2021.