Downing Avenue has refused to disclaim {that a} social occasion occurred in Boris Johnson’s flat throughout lockdown that was not thought-about by the Sue Grey inquiry, however officers insisted there isn’t a must reopen any investigations and that the matter is closed.
Labour has referred to as for an investigation into leaked textual content messages, reported over the weekend, suggesting Johnson and his spouse, Carrie, met two buddies of their flat on the prime minister’s birthday, 19 June 2020, when indoor socialising was banned.
Requested whether or not the alleged occasion could be seemed into, Johnson’s deputy spokesman stated on Monday Grey had been in a position to look at any gathering for which there was “credible proof”, including that her inquiry and that by the Metropolitan police had each been accomplished.
Requested repeatedly if he would deny {that a} gathering occurred contained in the flat on the night in query, the spokesman refused to take action.
“I’ve seen the identical reporting that you’ve, however that is lined within the phrases of reference in Sue Grey’s report, the place she clearly says that some other gatherings the place she obtained credible allegations could be seemed into,” he stated.
Requested if that meant merely that Grey didn’t know of any proof of a 19 June occasion, however that some might have emerged since, he stated: “I’m pointing to the method that Sue Grey adopted in producing her report.”
Responding to the feedback, Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy chief, stated Johnson “should come clear with the British folks”.
She stated: “Lower than per week after the discharge of the Gray report, this raises severe questions on whether or not Downing Avenue has been caught mendacity but once more and why the occasion has not been investigated.”
It’s alleged {that a} Downing Avenue aide obtained a textual content from Carrie Johnson confirming that she was with two male buddies within the flat on the date in June, the place the prime minister later joined them. This was the identical day because the birthday celebration for Johnson within the cupboard room, for which he and Carrie have been each fined.
In response to the Sunday Times, the aide wrote to the cupboard secretary, Simon Case, stating that they had made a suggestion to share the messages which Grey’s group ignored.
In one other obvious confusion, Johnson’s deputy spokesman stated it was not identified which No 10 workers might need been impolite to cleaners and safety guards within the constructing, regardless of briefings from different officers that the culprits have been identified.
On 25 Could, after Grey’s report disclosed “a number of examples of a scarcity of respect and poor therapy of safety and cleansing workers”, No 10 informally briefed reporters that it knew who had performed this, and that they not labored at Downing Avenue.
However questioned about this, the spokesman stated he didn’t know if these accountable had been recognized in spite of everything.
“You’ve seen the report which units out Sue Grey’s findings, and also you’ve seen the main points of these named inside that report,” he stated. “We might not essentially know the people. It was Sue Grey who investigated.”
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The Cupboard Workplace has defended the integrity of Grey’s report, saying it was “impartially performed and its contents signify the findings and conclusions of the investigation group alone”.
It was beforehand reported {that a} gathering was held within the Johnsons’ flat on 13 November 2020, with meals and alcohol obtainable and loud Abba music being performed. Grey admitted she had stopped investigating that individual occasion when the Met began their investigations, and selected to not pursue her inquiry afterwards.
