Final legal checks have delayed the publication of the long-awaited Partygate report, sparking fears in Westminster that its findings may not become public until Monday.
Sources close to Sue Gray’s inquiry confirmed her report is complete and is expected to be handed to Boris Johnson within days. But a process of “legal scrubbing” has been taking place, to ensure the final report does not unfairly identify junior staff nor cut across the separate investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
Sources insist there has been no interference from Downing Street in the process of finalising the document, which is expected to be highly uncomfortable for the prime minister. Ms Gray is believed to be determined to deliver the report to No 10 in a state which will ensure that further redactions are not required before publication.
No day has yet been fixed for it to be handed over, and senior Labour backbencher Chris Bryant said that, with Tory MPs on a one-line whip today and most MPs absent tomorrow, it now appeared that Monday was the most likely day for publication. Mr Bryant said No 10 had to give “plenty of time to allow people to read it before the prime minister comes to the house”, so they could “digest it properly”.
This story is from the January 27, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the January 27, 2022 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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