Sue Gray report: Who is expected to shoulder the blame over Partygate?

The Whitehall mandarin tasked with examining rule-breaking parties in No 10 is expected to publish her findings in the coming days.

It is not yet clear how many individuals will be named in Sue Gray’s long-awaited report, but all will have been notified by the senior civil servant’s team by 5pm on Sunday and given the opportunity to raise objections.

Ms Gray did not mention names in her interim report in January, but blasted “failures of leadership and judgement by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times”.

The expected publication of the report comes after the Metropolitan Police officially closed its own inquiry into the Partygate scandal last week, with 126 fixed penalty notices issued to 83 individuals, including Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

Given Mr Johnson has now received a fixed penalty notice, it is almost certain he will be named in the report.

When the document finally drops, many in Westminster are likely to search it for mentions of the prime minister’s name.

Ms Gray will be well aware that her report could have significant repercussions for Mr Johnson. But it remains to be seen just how severe the criticism of the prime minister will be, and whether he will be singled out as being responsible for the culture in Downing Street.

As the only other member of the cabinet who has been publicly identified as having received a fine from the Metropolitan Police, expect the name of the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to feature.

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He was issued with a fixed penalty notice for attending a gathering in the Cabinet Room for the prime minister’s birthday on 19 June 2020, when up to 30 people are said to have been present.

Despite not being fined by the Met Police, reports have suggested that Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, will come in for “stinging criticism” in the final report.

In his role as the most senior civil servant in the country, Mr Case was originally tasked with carrying out the investigation, but was forced to hand the responsibility to Ms Gray after allegations emerged that he had attended a gathering in his own office.

Over the weekend, The Observer also raised speculation that Mr Case could be used as a scapegoat by the prime minister in an attempt to save his own job, in a report that will make “gruesome” reading for both men.

Other names featuring in Ms Gray’s report could include Martin Reynolds, who was responsible for sending No 10 staff the leaked “BYOB” email.

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In it he told them to “make the most of the lovely weather” at the event in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 – at the height of England’s first national lockdown.

Mr Reynolds left his role as principal private secretary to Mr Johnson in February, as the prime minister reshuffled his top team in the wake of public anger over the lockdown parties, and is now stationed at the Foreign Office.

Mr Reynolds offered his resignation alongside Downing Street chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, hours after policy aide Munira Mirza and director of communications Jack Doyle both quit.

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Helen MacNamara, the government’s former ethics chief, was fined by the police for attending a gathering in June 2020 related to the departure of a private secretary.

She may also be named in Ms Gray’s report, according to ITV, having previously apologised for her “error of judgement”. Ms MacNamara confirmed she had paid her fine in April.

In a short statement last month, she said: “I am sorry for the error of judgement I have shown. I have accepted and paid the fixed penalty notice.”