Deputies have reacted angrily to the lack of full investigation into an alleged party held at Boris Johnson’s apartment during confinement, reportedly with alcohol, food and Abba songs.
Partygate’s six-month investigation into senior official Sue Gray ended with little known recognition of what happened on the 11th floor of Downing Street on November 13, 2020. It would not be “appropriate or proportionate.” investigate further, Gray. dit.
The report, released on Wednesday, said a “meeting” was held on the Downing Street floor attended by the Prime Minister and five special political advisers to discuss the resignations of two No. 10 senior aides that day: Johnson’s chief of staff, Dominic Cummings, and his director of communications, Lee Cain.
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Gray said the meeting began after 6 p.m., and Johnson joined around 8 p.m., and discussions “continued later in the evening” with food and alcohol available.
But he admitted that his knowledge of the meeting was limited because he had just begun gathering evidence before the metropolitan police announced his own Partygate investigation in January, prompting his investigation to be stopped to avoid harm the agents’ investigations.
When Operation Hillman of the Met ended last week with 126 fines spread, Gray said he “considered the possibility of further investigation into this event or not, but concluded that it was not appropriate or proportionate to do so. “.
The move is likely to lead to allegations of cover-ups, with MPs concerned that the potentially most damaging event of the Partygate scandal has not been adequately addressed by Gray’s investigation.
A top Conservative MP said he was disappointed that the Gray report “does not clarify what happened or did not happen on his flat”, adding: “I think it is slipping away.”
Labor MP Justin Madders addressed Johnson over the disagreement in the Commons on Wednesday. He said, “I want to ask [the prime minister] specifically about the rally in her apartment on November 13, 2020, which, contrary to what she said today, has not been investigated by Sue Gray.
“It simply came to our notice then [that] Was there no alcohol, no music, or anything else that people could reasonably conclude was a party?
Johnson declined, saying he had “nothing to add” to the findings of the Gray report.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry said she was “baffled why the Abba party in the prime minister’s flat has never been investigated by either Sue Gray or the Met police”. He added: “So I can ask the Prime Minister what can be done through an independent investigation to assure me and my constituents that the Met police have not been noble?”
Johnson again rejected the question, saying his accusation “surprises me a lot,” adding, “I think I should take a closer look at Sue Gray’s report because I think she’ll find the answer she needs.”
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The prime minister is likely to face further questions during a press conference and a private meeting with Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday afternoon.