‘Interfering’ police delay Gray report
Met criticised after it asks civil servant to make ‘minimal reference’ to No 10 events
THE METROPOLITAN Police was yesterday accused of “seeking to interfere in the affairs of state” after attempting to constrain Sue Gray’s report into the Downing Street gatherings.
The force sparked more confusion over the long-awaited investigation when they asked the senior civil servant to only make “minimal reference” to the alleged lockdown-busting events which officers are now looking at.
The statement means the wait for the document that could make or break Boris Johnson’s premiership now rolls into the weekend.
Last night it was reported that the report would be presented to the Prime Minister in “the coming hours or days”.
It is understood the report will not be made public until “in all likelihood next week”, when MPs return to the Commons after the weekend.
In a statement yesterday, Scotland Yard said: “For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report. The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation.”
It is thought the request has been made over concerns that the contents of the Cabinet Office inquiry may impact on the police investigation into an undisclosed number of the gatherings at the heart of the Government, and it means Ms Gray’s report could be further delayed or released in a slimmed-down version. There is uncertainty over when the report will surface and whether this will be before the end of the Met’s investigation.
Lord Macdonald, who is a former director of public prosecutions, said the move seemed “disproportionate” in the face of “very powerful public interest” in the report’s swift publication, arguing that although it could “tip off ” potential suspects or witnesses, they are likely to be caught off-guard by her findings.
Concerns were also voiced by a senior Tory, Sir Christopher Chope, who raised the issue in the House of Commons. He said: “There is no reason for the Metropolitan Police to be able to require Sue Gray not to issue her report in an unamended way for the benefit of the Prime Minister who ordered that report, and for this House, which is eager to see that report.
“It seems that the Metropolitan Police is usurping its position by seeking to interfere in the affairs of state without there being any criminal offences or any grounds for them carrying out such interference.”
Sources close to Ms Gray’s inquiry have indicated she was concerned about the prospect of releasing a report shorn of some of its key findings, raising the likelihood of a significant delay. Yesterday the Met said it had received the material requested from the Cabinet Office to support the investigation. It denied delaying the publication.