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The forgotten scandal

Whatever happened to what’s-her-name’s report on Partygate?

“I wonder what’s happened to that report into the parties?”

“Parties? What parties?”

“The Downing Street parties.”

“Downing Street? What at number 10? When was this, then?”

“During lockdown when everyone had to stay at home and not mix with others. We were obeying the rules and regulations while they were partying at Downing Street.” 

“I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened, remember, I’m still getting over long covid.”

“Thousands were dying in hospitals and their loved ones couldn’t even be with them for a final farewell. Had to say their last words and wave goodbye over a laptop or a tablet. If they were lucky enough to have one.”

“That’s terrible. And was Johnson at these parties?”

“First, he said he wasn’t, then he said he might have been. But if he was, he didn’t realise it was a party, even though there was a birthday cake for him at one. And some of these dos were right old rave ups. In the garden, in the basement. They brought in extra booze in a suitcase. Music, dancing, a DJ, the lot.”

“But what about masks and social distancing?”

 “Yeah, what about them? There were thousands of complaints. Emails to MPs, questions in the House, calls for Johnson to resign. And others, too.”

“But there was an investigation?

“By a top civil servant, meant to be independent. Now, what was her name? I’m useless with names. Begins with an S.”

“Sandra?’

‘No.”

“Sarah?”

“Stop, you’re putting me off. It’ll come to me in
a minute.”

“Susan?”

“I said stop, you’re putting me … No, that’s it, you’ve got it. Sue. Sue Gray. So Sue Gray held her investigation and made her report.”

“And what did it say?”

“That’s the point. We don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

“Not everything. General stuff about failures of leadership and excessive consumption of alcohol. But no real details, no naming of names and no one held to account.”

“But why not?”

“The Met Police reluctantly got involved with an investigation of their own. In case criminal offences had been committed. Now the Met send out questionnaires for the PM and others to fill in and all we’ve had is an interim and edited Sue Gray report.”

“That can’t be right. I think it’s time we saw the whole Sue Gray report. Don’t you?”

As it happens, most do think that. While government ministers have rightly focused their efforts on the situation in Ukraine – although some would say they could try harder in this area as well – they will no doubt be banking on Partygate being forgotten in the process. But our surveys show that while the public are willing to let the matter rest for now, it hasn’t been forgotten and the government can be sure of an eventual reckoning.

Surveys

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