[Epoch Times, February 3, 2022](The Epoch Times British reporter station reported) Monday (January 31), an investigation report into some suspected illegal gatherings in the Prime Minister’s Office during the epidemic was released. The report criticized “leadership failures” in the prime minister’s office and that some events “should not have been allowed to take place”. Prime Minister Johnson said he would change the bad atmosphere in the Prime Minister’s House.
Johnson apologized to the House of Commons after the report was released. “I already know that, and I’m going to fix those issues,” he said.
He said that the atmosphere of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Office will be changed, and a “Prime Minister’s Office” will be established to lead the daily work of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Metropolitan Police recently announced that it will investigate some activities in the Prime Minister’s Office and other government departments in Whitehall, so senior public servant Sue Gray’s report is asked not to disclose too much information about the incidents under investigation by the police to ensure that the police investigation is carried out. fairness.
As a result, the published report contained no details on the activities of the police investigation. Some members of the Conservative Party were dissatisfied with this, and the Prime Minister’s Office promised to release the full “Grey Report” after the police investigation was completed.
Police investigate 12 activities
The Gray Report investigated 16 campaigns. Gray disclosed that police are investigating 12 of them to see if they violated the no-gathering rules during the lockdown. The 12 events took place on eight different dates.
These include a “bring your own drink” gathering in the Gardens of the Prime Minister’s Palace that Prime Minister John has apologised for, the Prime Minister’s birthday celebration on June 19, 2020, and an event at the Prime Minister’s apartment on November 13, 2020.
Police disclosed that they had obtained more than 300 photos and more than 500 pages of information from Gray, and that many of the incidents under investigation were send-offs for people leaving the Prime Minister’s Office or Cabinet Office.
The Prime Minister’s Office said that if the police determine during the investigation that someone has violated the rules against gatherings during the lockdown, it will be up to the police to decide whether to release the names of those people.
But police work guidelines state that police typically do not release the names of those fined. That is, if the prime minister and his wife do break the rules and are fined, the police can keep the information private.
In this regard, the Prime Minister’s Office said that if a fine is imposed for non-compliance, the Prime Minister will announce the news because it is in the public interest.
Prime Minister’s Office criticized
In the report, Gray criticized the Prime Minister’s Office and some senior civil servants and staff for some activities that did not meet the high standards “expected by the British public at the time”.
“Leadership failures and misjudgments occurred at different times in 10 Downing Street and different parts of the Cabinet Office,” the report said. “Some activities should not have been allowed to take place, others should not have been allowed to develop to their current extent.”
The report also criticised the practice of drinking in the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Offices, saying that “drinking excessively in an occupational workplace is inappropriate at all times”.
The report is important for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s future, but the simplified version released so far appears to give him some breathing time. Many MPs said they would wait for the results of the police investigation before considering whether to hold a vote of no confidence in the prime minister.
A vote of no confidence will be triggered if 54 Conservative MPs submit a letter of no confidence in the prime minister to the 1922 Committee, which represents the backbenchers. ◇
Responsible editor: Chen Bin