Latest on Boris Johnson 'Partygate' probe report

By Rob Picheta, CNN

Updated 2125 GMT (0525 HKT) January 31, 2022
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10:44 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Boris Johnson should go, Labour leader says

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responds to a statement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to MPs in the House of Commons on the Sue Gray report on January 31.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responds to a statement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to MPs in the House of Commons on the Sue Gray report on January 31. (House of Commons/PA Images/Getty Images)

Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer is responding to Johnson's speech, telling lawmakers "there is evidence of serious and flagrant breaches of lockdown."

"There can be no doubt that the Prime Minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation," Starmer said.

He urged the government to publish the full report when it is ready, but added that "it is already clear that the report discloses the most damning conclusion possible."

Starmer repeated calls for Johnson to resign, calling the PM a "man without shame."

11:07 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Johnson says he is "getting on with the job"

Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on the Sue Gray report on January 31.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on the Sue Gray report on January 31. (House of Commons/PA Images/Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is touting his government's actions on Brexit and crime as he attempts to draw a line under the parties scandal -- but he has been met with jeers from opposition MPs.

He said he "gets" public anger, but that his focus is now "getting on with the job."

"I get it, and I will fix it," Johnson said.

10:38 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Boris Johnson says "sorry" for lockdown parties during the pandemic

Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, London, England, on the Sue Gray report on January 31
Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, London, England, on the Sue Gray report on January 31 (House of Commons/PA Images/Reuters)

Boris Johnson is addressing MPs after the Sue Gray report was published. "Firstly I want to say sorry," he said.

"I’m sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right," he added. "This pandemic was hard for everyone … I understand the anger that people feel."

Johnson said the government "must look ourselves in the mirror" and added he would make changes in Downing Street.

10:32 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

HAPPENING NOW: Boris Johnson addressing MPs over damning report on lockdown parties

Boris Johnson is speaking to MPs, and he'll face a grilling from the opposition afterwards. You can follow events on this page.

10:24 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Analysis: Can Boris Johnson survive as PM in light of damning "Partygate" report?

Analysis by CNN's Luke McGee, CNN

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, Westminster, for the House of Commons, where he will make a statement to MPs on the Sue Gray report after she provided an update on her investigations earlier today, January 31.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, Westminster, for the House of Commons, where he will make a statement to MPs on the Sue Gray report after she provided an update on her investigations earlier today, January 31. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images/Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is about to speak to the House of Commons after the publication of Sue Gray’s report.

The report was far more critical than many were expecting and revealed that 12 gatherings attended by government officials that took place during Covid restrictions have met the threshold for police investigation.

The big question right now: Can he survive?

For what it’s worth, ahead of the Prime Minister’s address, here’s what his own lawmakers are thinking. The biggest Johnson skeptics are resigned to Johnson holding it on. They think he will kick the can down the road and grip onto power, no matter what damage it does to the governing Conservative party.

Moderates think Johnson’s short-term fate comes down to how apologetic he is. If they deem the PM not to have been sufficiently contrite, they will let him know at a meeting of backbenchers later today.

And those still supporting Johnson are very worried that their trigger-happy colleagues are ready to move against the Prime Minister without really thinking about what happens next.

Whatever happens, these next few hours could well be the best remembered of his entire time in office.

10:28 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Did Boris Johnson mislead Parliament over a party in his flat?

The Sue Gray report has raised questions about Boris Johnson's past comments about lockdown parties.

One event is particularly notable: Gray writes that her inquiry probed "a gathering in the No 10 Downing Street flat" on November 13, 2020. That event is among those that police are also investigating, according to the report.

Johnson was asked about that gathering in Parliament on December 8. Here's what was said:

Labour MP Catherine West: "Will the Prime Minister tell the House whether there was a party in Downing Street on 13 November?"
Boris Johnson: "No, but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times."

MPs are not allowed to knowingly mislead Parliament, and doing so breaches the ministerial code. Here's what the code says about misleading Parliament:

"It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister."

Last week, at Prime Minister's Questions, Labour Leader Keir Starmer asked Johnson if he would resign were he found to have misled Parliament.

Johnson replied: "Of course."

If Johnson is found to have breached the code and does not offer to resign, it would be up to Conservative MPs to force him out through a vote of no confidence.

10:21 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Opposition says report is "astonishing" and calls on Johnson to go

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner walks outside the Houses of Parliament on January 19 in London, England.
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner walks outside the Houses of Parliament on January 19 in London, England. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Images)

Sue Gray's report into lockdown parties at Downing Street is "appalling and astonishing" and Boris Johnson should not continue as Prime Minister, the deputy leader of the opposition Labour party has said.

Angela Rayner told the BBC: "I don’t know how Boris Johnson has got the nerve to even turn up at Parliament today."

"You think about the key workers who lost their lives over that period ... it’s absolutely appalling and astonishing," she said.

Monday's release was not the entire report, and Rayner said "we haven’t even had the worst of it yet," calling on Johnson to resign.

The Prime Minister "needs to go," she said.

10:09 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

5 main takeaways from Sue Gray's damning report into lockdown parties at Downing Street

From CNN's Rob Picheta

A general view of number 10 Downing Street on January 29 in London, England.
A general view of number 10 Downing Street on January 29 in London, England. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Sue Gray's long-awaited report into coronavirus-era parties in government has arrived -- and even in a brief and stripped-down format, it's more damaging for Boris Johnson than many had expected.

Here are some of the key findings.

  • There were "failures of leadership" in Downing Street: Gray wrote that multiple "failures of leadership and judgment" in Number 10 allowed parties to take place while the rest of the country was living under strict rules. Some events represent a failure of the standards expected of those in government, she wrote.
  • Police are investigating 12 events, including some Boris Johnson attended: The report revealed which gatherings the police are investigating. They include Boris Johnson's birthday party and an event in the Downing Street garden, both of which Johnson has admitted he went to. Another gathering, held in Johnson's flat, is also being looked at by officers.
  • The government gave "little thought" to following its own lockdown rules: Gray wrote that, at times, "it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public."
  • Excessive alcohol consumption took place in government: The report hinted at a drinking culture in Downing Street during the pandemic, which it said was "not appropriate" at any workplace.
  • There is more to come on Partygate: The main question surrounding the report was what wouldn't be included -- and Gray decided to leave out details of all the gatherings she looked at, as she couldn't report on those the police are looking at. That means more revelations about what happened at those 16 events may still come to light, and the scandal could continue to haunt the Prime Minister.
9:51 a.m. ET, January 31, 2022

Boris Johnson's birthday party among 12 events being investigated by police, report suggests

Police are investigating a gathering held for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's birthday in 2020, along with several other events in government, Sue Gray's report suggests.

Gray said she investigated 16 events on 12 different days. She added that police are also looking at those events, with the exception of four.

They include a gathering on Johnson's birthday, when the country was in lockdown.