Boris Johnson, adversaries nervously await ‘partygate’ report

LONDON — As he fights for his career, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has one constant refrain: Wait for Sue Gray.

But Alex Thomas, a program director at think-tank the Institute for Government, said those expecting the report to “either clear the prime minister or damn him” would likely be disappointed. Johnson has acknowledged attending one event, a May 2020 garden party, but says he considered it a work event. But his former top aide Dominic Cummings, who is now a fierce critic of Johnson, said Monday that the prime minister had been warned the party broke the rules, and lied to Parliament by denying it.

Crucially, though, Gray has limited room to censure Johnson. Usually, civil service inquiries make recommendations to the prime minister. Here it’s the prime minister who is being investigated, making Johnson the arbiter of his own punishment. Gray is regarded within government as a straight shooter unafraid to stand up to politicians. But freedom of information campaigners have criticized her role in keeping government secrets. A previous role involved vetting officials’ memoirs to ensure no secrets were spilled, and she has been accused of stonewalling freedom of information requests.“You don’t generally join the civil service to become a household name,” he said. “That said, she is a resilient person.

Johnson spokesman Max Blain dismissed the reports and said he had “never heard that term used.” He also denied the government was deploying “Operation Red Meat” — throwing out attention-grabbing policy measures to distract from the party claims.

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