London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

PM urged to explain Sue Gray partygate secret cover-up meeting

PM urged to explain Sue Gray partygate secret cover-up meeting

Labour suggests the "secret meeting" could damage confidence in the civil servant's inquiry.

Opposition parties are calling for the prime minister to explain a meeting with Sue Gray over her report into the partygate saga.

It has emerged the civil servant and Boris Johnson met several weeks ago - but there are conflicting accounts of what was discussed.

A spokesperson for the Sue Gray investigation has disputed a government source's assertion the pair discussed including photographs in her report.

The BBC has now been told the discussion about photographs "did not happen", although photos are likely to be included in the final report.

Labour has suggested that the "secret meeting" could damage confidence in the process.

Ms Gray is set to publish her full report into lockdown gatherings in and around Downing Street in 2020 and 2021 next week.

According to the senior government source, the pair discussed including photos in the report, and that Ms Gray initiated the meeting.

But it is now understood that while Ms Gray sent the calendar invite for the meeting, the original idea for it came from Downing St.

In a conversation with a senior official in No 10, it was suggested to Ms Gray that she might offer an update on her work to the prime minister. She accepted that idea and sent the invite to ensure an appointment was put in both their diaries.

Ms Gray's full report will be published after the Metropolitan Police announced it had concluded its investigation, which saw a total of 126 fines issued to 83 people.

Around 30 individuals, including the prime minister, have already been informed they are likely to be named by Ms Gray.

They have until Sunday evening to lodge any objections.


Westminster has been waiting for Sue Gray's report for what feels like an eternity.

Her findings are expected to be published within days and the anticipation is reaching a climax.

Opposition parties are already shouting "stitch-up" and demanding an explanation for the meeting between the prime minister and Ms Gray.

But Boris Johnson needs this process to be seen to be independent, or as much as it can be when the person compiling it is a senior government official themselves.

That's why Downing Street is stressing the meeting between the prime minister and Ms Gray happened at her request and the contents of the report were not discussed.

Anything that compromises the authority of the report risks dragging out the partygate saga further and bogging Boris Johnson down in it indefinitely.

Of course he's still facing a parliamentary inquiry into whether he knowingly misled MPs about all this.

Sue Gray's report is important, but it won't be the last word.

On Friday, a No 10 spokesperson said: "The prime minister commissioned the investigation led by Sue Gray and has been clear throughout that it should be completely independent.

"As he reiterated again today, the decision on what and when to publish rests entirely with the investigation team and he will respond in Parliament once it concludes."

In a statement, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "Boris Johnson must urgently explain why he held a secret meeting with Sue Gray to discuss her report despite claiming her investigation was completely independent. Public confidence in the process is already depleted, and people deserve to know the truth.

"This is a prime minister incapable of taking responsibility for the rotten culture he has created in Downing Street or of doing the decent thing.

Civil servant Sue Gray has led an investigation into gatherings which took place in and around Downing Street during lockdown


"The Sue Gray report must be published in full and with all accompanying evidence."

Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said: "Any whiff of a stitch-up would make an absolute mockery of the report.

"This meeting must be explained. Most of the country already feels betrayed by Boris Johnson.

"He has undermined public trust and the public deserve a process that is completely transparent and beyond question."

An interim version of the report, published in January, did not name individuals but criticised "failures of leadership and judgement" and said some events should not have "been allowed to take place".

The prime minister meanwhile faces an inquiry by the Commons' Privileges Committee about whether he knowingly lied to Parliament when he previously told MPs that no laws had been broken in Downing Street.

Under government guidelines, ministers who knowingly mislead the House of Commons are expected to resign.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×