Boris Johnson described Sue Gray investigation as 'an orgy of pain, abuse and humiliation', says ex-No.10 media chief
11 May 2023, 07:00
Boris Johnson described Sue Gray's investigation into lockdown-busting parties an "orgy of pain, abuse and humiliation", his former Downing Street director of communications has revealed.
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Guto Harri, who was director of communications between February and September 2022 - the final months of Mr Johnson's time in No10 - said the ex-PM faced "real trouble" for the first time during the investigation.
Speaking on his new podcast Unprecedented: Inside Downing Street on Global Player, Mr Harri said: "Something was happening to Boris that he'd never had to deal with before. He was in real trouble. Big trouble.
"Conservative MPs in his words had become psychotic.
"The police were trawling all over Partygate and an inquiry led by an – until then, at least – obscure civil servant called Sue Gray, now a household name of course and a hero of the left, was planning what he described then as an orgy of pain, abuse and humiliation."
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Mr Harri's new six-part podcast will reveal the inner workings of Government from his experiences at the heart of Mr Johnson's Downing Street operation during its final few months.
The tumultuous ending saw him try to cling on as he faced constant questions about his handling of Partygate and then a raft of resignations as his ministers felt they could no longer support him.
Mr Harri also reveals exclusive details about the breakdown in the relationship between former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Mr Johnson, who had a "fundamental disagreement of policy".
Mr Harri reveals: "There was a moment where Boris blew up. Sadly, Rishi was not in the room. He needed to know but Boris just basically went, f*** this s***, man, f*** this s***. We need to clear out the Treasury.
"The Treasury is acting like a bank manager, not an engine of growth. We need Singapore-on-Thames. We need dynamism. We're not here to just manage the decline, we need the growth engine of the British economy to be humming.
"And so, this tension was building and that was far more significant in the end, behind the scenes, than any row over Partygate or the trivial nonsense of everyday politics.
"This was a fundamental disagreement of policy that explains the fault lines that are still at the heart of the Conservative Party."
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Recounting a conversation with Boris Johnson after Rishi Sunak resigned from his role as Chancellor last summer, Mr Harri said: "Rishi walked out. Didn't even tell Boris he was going to go. Basically, he went public with a resignation.
"And a few days later, Boris found a little video on the internet that expressed what he wanted to say to Rishi. He didn't send it, but he sent it to me and said, ‘thinking of sending this to Rishi.’
"Video plays: ‘you’re a c***.’ ‘So, there you have it. If you really want to know how Boris Johnson felt about Rishi Sunak in the immediate aftermath of his toppling and the great betrayal of all time as he sees it, there you have it."
