Partygate report due in days, police deny delaying publication

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally got to see the much-awaited ‘partygate’ investigation already this weekend, after British police insisted they had not delayed its publication.

Reports have been circulating of a potential outside challenger for the Tory leadership as the wait continues for senior civil servant Sue Gray’s official inquiry into possible lockdown breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall.

It is widely believed that British Chancellor Rishi Sunak or Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are the first to win the top job if Mr Johnson is ousted.

But the Daily Mail reported on Friday that centrist Tories backed former soldier Tom Tugendhat to be Mr Johnson’s successor.

The newspaper said some Tory MPs believed the chairman of Britain’s foreign affairs select committee represented the ‘best chance for a fresh start’.

Meanwhile, new allegations have emerged relating to a reported meeting on Mr Johnson’s birthday in June 2020.

The Telegraph reported on Friday night that Mr Johnson’s wife, Carrie, had messaged No 10 staff offering to bring a cake to the rally.

As questions loom over his future as Prime Minister, it is understood Mr Johnson will ‘step up deterrence to avoid bloodshed’ between Russia and Ukraine with a visit to the region in the coming months days amid rising tensions.

The Prime Minister is determined to “accelerate diplomatic efforts” during a trip in the coming days and will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone.

The publication of Gray’s long-awaited report into the alleged lockdown-breaking parties was turned upside down on Tuesday when Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who had long resisted calls to investigate, announced that her officers had opened a criminal investigation .

Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday evening that it had received the requested documents from the UK cabinet office to support its investigation.

The force said officers would now look into this “without fear or favour” to determine if any rules had been broken.

The Met had been criticized by legal experts and Tory MPs for urging Ms Gray to limit the publication of her investigation into the parties’ allegations to No 10.

But the force insisted on Friday evening that it had not delayed the publication of the report.

Commander Catherine Roper, who heads the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command, said the timing of the document’s release was up to the cabinet office.

The PA news agency understands that Mr Johnson could receive a copy of the report over the weekend or in the coming week.

It is expected to be sent to No. 10 shortly, instead of weeks or months.

But it is understood he will comply with any police request, which means some details could be excluded.

Downing Street declined to comment on the Met’s statement.

The cabinet office did not comment further on the release date of the report.

He said Ms Gray’s investigation is continuing, there is ongoing contact with police and the findings will be made public. The ministry added that it would not speculate further on the investigation by the senior official.

Ms Roper said the force had requested that ‘minimal reference’ be made in the report to ‘relevant events’, in order to ‘protect the integrity of the police investigation’ and to be ‘as fair as possible to those who are subject to it”.

“This will only be necessary until these cases are closed, and this is to give detectives the most reliable picture of what happened during these events. We intend to complete our investigations quickly, fairly and proportionately,” she said.

“We have not delayed this report and the timing of its release is up to the firm’s investigation team.”

No one will accept a Westminster cover-up.

If the UK government refuses to release the full, unredacted report, it will prove, once again, that Westminster is utterly corrupt and beyond repair.

It won’t save Boris Johnson’s skin. It will only add to the calls for him to leave.

— Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) January 28, 2022

SNP Westminster group leader Ian Blackford tweeted: ‘No one will accept a Westminster cover-up. If the UK government refuses to release the full, unredacted report, it will prove, once again, that Westminster is utterly corrupt and beyond repair. It won’t save Boris Johnson’s skin. It will only add to the calls for him to leave.

And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘Anything short of the full report would be a Whitehall whitewash not worth the paper it’s written on.’

The Met has previously argued that the constraints imposed on the Cabinet Office’s ‘involvement’ report were necessary to ‘avoid any prejudice to our investigation’, indicating that it was likely to be diluted or suffer a long delay.

The new statement, released on Friday evening, contained no mention of the term “prejudice”.

Ms Roper said offenses under investigation, when proven, would normally result in a fixed fine notice being issued.

“Those identified as having potentially breached these regulations will normally be contacted in writing and asked to explain their actions, including whether they believe they have a reasonable excuse,” she said.

“Following this process, and where there is sufficient evidence that individuals have breached the regulations without a reasonable excuse, officers will decide whether enforcement action is appropriate.

“If the decision is to take enforcement action, a report will be sent to ACRO Criminal Records who will issue the Notice of Fixed Penalty. Recipients can pay the fixed fine and the case will be considered closed.

“If a recipient disputes the Fixed Penalty Notice, the case will be referred to the Met where officers will consider whether to pursue the matter in Magistrates Court.

“As the commissioner said, we will not be giving routine comment, but we will continue to update when significant progress is made in the investigation process.”