Name & shame

Sue Gray will be free to identify Whitehall rule breakers when Partygate report finally released next week PM refuses to say sorry for 126 lockdown breaches or explain how he escaped with just one fine

BORIS Johnson refused to apologise for the Partygate scandal as he appeared in public for the first time since the Met Police concluded its four-month long investigation.

Scotland Yard issued 126 fines to officials across Downing Street over lockdown-busting parties, but the Prime Minister walked away with just one.

There were demands for answers over how Johnson escaped with just one fixed-penalty notice despite being present at a number of rulebreaking parties.

Whitehall enforcer Sue Gray is expected to release the names of individuals who attended the gatherings in her highly-anticipated report.

The Record understands the PM has been given advance notice of what the inquiry will say about him.

A source confirmed that as a “courtesy”, he was given a Sunday night deadline to raise any objections before the report is unveiled – likely on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Asked if he would apologise for the scale of lawbreaking, Johnson said yesterday: “Well I’m very grateful to the Met for their work. I thank them for everything that they’ve done.

“I think that we just need to wait for Sue Gray to report and then – fingers crossed that will be very soon – and I’ll be saying some more next week.“

Asked if No10 would block any names from release he replied: “That will entirely be up to Sue Gray and I’ve been looking forward very much to seeing what she has to say.” The PM’s deputy spokesman said No10 intends to “publish it as received”, without censoring it.

“There are issues relating to data protection that we have to take into account but I don’t foresee that slowing down the process,” he said.

It is understood Johnson will be named by Sue Gray in her report. But her plans to name senior figures have been complicated by the fact Scotland Yard have refused to tell her who they’ve fined – or even which events the fines were for.

The Prime Minister attended between four and six of the events that led to fines.

Yet sources told the Record police only investigated him over two events. Former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald told the BBC: “I think without the police providing an explanation for that it’s very difficult for us to understand why they came to the conclusions that they did.”

Gray’s report is set to include names where they are necessary to the process, but a source close to the inquiry denied she was battling opponents in government to name-and-shame.

They told the Record: “The idea that Sue is banging the table saying ‘I want to name all these people’ is not correct.”

Johnson is set to make a statement in Parliament within hours of it being published.

It comes as civil service chief Simon Case was blocked from appearing before MPs next week.

The Cabinet Secretary and Government ethics chief Darren Tierney had been due to give evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee about propriety of governance in the wake of the Greensill lobbying scandal.

MPs had been due to raise the Partygate saga at the session, along with proposed job cuts to the civil service.

But their appearance has been postponed until June 28.

The committee was told by officials in the Cabinet Office that ministers no longer deemed it appropriate due to “recent events”.