London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Sue Gray report: 'I wish I'd taken a fine to be with my dying husband'

Sue Gray report: 'I wish I'd taken a fine to be with my dying husband'

"I wish I hadn't followed the rules, I'd have taken the fine," Sara said, adding she would have given anything to spend more time with her dying husband.

She told BBC Radio 5 Live she followed the rules because she thought the government was doing the right thing.

Like many of those bereaved by Covid she is angry at the revelations in the Sue Gray report into Westminster parties during lockdown.

Boris Johnson said he took "full responsibility" and was "humbled".

Sara, who is from Surrey but asked us not to use her full name, said she had been unable to go with her husband Tony, 59, when he was rushed to hospital during the first lockdown, back in 2020.

While she was able to visit him briefly, the rules at the time meant she had to leave after a few hours and he died when she was not with him.

"I'd have taken the fine because that's what [Mr Johnson] appears to be doing," she said. "He didn't follow the rules, his staff didn't follow the rules, they've taken the fine."

Sara, 60, said she had been "distraught" but had listened to the government's messages and followed the rules.

"I did and I wish I hadn't," she said. "Neither of my kids could be there, they had to Facetime their father. Their last memory of their father was to Facetime him and my last memory is him saying to me 'I'll see you tomorrow morning'.

"One of the events - on 20 May when they had the 'bring your own beer' [event] - was the day I buried my husband and I had just my kids with me. And it's just not fair.

"I'd have given anything for extra time to have been with him and it's just not fair."

She added it was not just about a few drinks but about the credibility of the government - and said Downing Street and the office of the prime minister had been brought into disrepute.

Sara is not alone in her anger - the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice says the prime minister had treated them like "dirt" and as an "inconvenience".

Group spokesman Lobby Akinnola, whose father Olufemi Akinnola died as a result of coronavirus in April 2020 aged 60, said: "When they were texting colleagues about getting away with it, we were having to text our families telling them they couldn't come to their loved ones' funerals.

"The messages in the report show they knew how disrespectful they were being to the families they were failing, but that didn't bother them.

"Not content with partying whilst he failed to protect our loved ones, the prime minister has now spent months ignoring and lying to us."

Safiah Ngah, 29, called for Mr Johnson to resign over the "raucous and savage behaviour" in Downing Street.

She told the PA news agency restrictions in place last February meant she was unable to say a final goodbye in person to her 68-year-old father Zahari Ngah.

Safiah Ngah, whose father died last February, says the prime minister should resign over "raucous and savage behaviour" in Westminster


Her family had to settle for a video call as their last contact while government officials were "cheers-ing", partying and joking about getting away with it, she said.

"It's disgusting. It makes me embarrassed to be British," she said.

Lyndsay Greenwood, who lost her father to Covid in January 2021, described Ms Gray's report as "a bit of a farce", saying it does not hold Mr Johnson to account.

"I didn't expect anything more, didn't expect any resignations," she said. "He's using the energy crisis as a distraction tactic - it's always distractions, but actually this is something that needs looking at too."

"Yes I lost my dad, but it's not just about that. It's the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, especially financially with people having to have gone on furlough."

She said there was "no leadership" and said the prime minister should have stepped down.

But not everyone has put the blame at the prime minister's door.

Mary Smith, whose husband Terry died during the pandemic, said the report was all "what we've heard before" and said she did not have any confidence that Labour would have done better in power.

"He's a buffoon, he did wrong. But personally I think the other issues he's handling well," she said. "I'm pretty fed up of hearing about it."

She added: "I don't bear any grudges about how [husband] Terry died but I am angry about people not wearing masks on the bus that he caught it from."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
×