Sue Gray Partygate report 'is so damning Boris could be forced to quit as PM'
25 April 2022, 09:08 | Updated: 25 April 2022, 14:46
Sue Gray's "excoriating" Partygate report could be so damning that Boris Johnson will be forced to resign as Prime Minister.
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The senior civil servant was forced to delay full publication of her investigation into the Downing Street parties during the pandemic after the Met announced that it would also be looking into the claims.
However, she said in an interim report published at the beginning of the year that the scandal reflected "failures of leadership and judgement".
A senior official has since suggested that the full findings are even more critical of Mr Johnson and could mean he is forced to end his premiership.
The source told the Times: "Sue's report is excoriating. It will make things incredibly difficult for the prime minister.
"There's an immense amount of pressure on her - her report could be enough to end him. No official has ever been in a position like this before."
No10 refused to comment.
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'One rule' for Boris Johnson and another 'for everybody else'
Mr Johnson previously insisted that he would not step down as a result of the scandal and has suggested that the issue does not matter to voters.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has repeated calls for the PM to resign, arguing that Tory MPs are "sick of defending the indefensible".
Separate reports in the I newspaper claim Tory rebels are preparing to oust Mr Johnson depending on the outcome of the local elections next month and if further Partygate fines are issued to him.
He and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have already been fined for a birthday bash in June 2020 - when indoor gatherings were banned.
Mr Johnson reportedly attended half of the 12 gatherings being probed by police.
However, chairman of the Tory party Oliver Dowden said on Sunday that it was "quite a speculation" to predict he could be hit with more fixed penalty notices as the Met investigation continues.
