By Christy Cooney
BBC News
Senior civil servant Sue Grey met Boris Johnson to chat about publishing photos as segment of her inquiry into Downing Avenue parties, the BBC has been told.
A senior executive offer acknowledged the PM had told Ms Grey the decision used to be a subject for her, and the findings of her investigation had been no longer mentioned.
The availability acknowledged it used to be now anticipated Ms Grey, who requested the meeting, would embrace photos in her final record.
Labour suggested the “secret meeting” could well well additionally hurt self perception in the job.
Ms Grey has been taking a scrutinize correct into a fat selection of gatherings reported to private taken problem in Downing Avenue in 2020 and 2021, when Covid restrictions had been in problem.
Her full record is made up our minds to be published next week after the Metropolitan Police launched it had concluded its investigation, which noticed an entire of 126 fines issued to 83 folk.
Around 30 folk, including the high minister, private already been told they have a tendency to be named by Ms Grey.
They’ve except Sunday evening to resort any objections.
The BBC understands that Ms Grey requested the meeting with Mr Johnson over a month up to now “to clarify her intentions” for what would happen after the completion of the police inquiry.
The senior executive offer acknowledged the meeting lined “functional and job considerations”, including whether photos could well well be published.
Westminster has been looking ahead to Sue Grey’s record for what feels fancy an eternity.
Her findings are anticipated to be published within days and the anticipation is reaching a climax.
Opposition parties are already shouting “stitch-up” and stressful an reason of the meeting between the high minister and Ms Grey.
But Boris Johnson needs this job to be considered to be fair, or as mighty as it could well additionally additionally be when the person compiling it’s miles a senior executive official themselves.
That’s why Downing Avenue is stressing the meeting between the high minister and Ms Grey took problem at her are looking ahead to and the contents of the record had been no longer mentioned.
One thing else that compromises the authority of the record risks dragging out the Partygate saga extra and bogging Boris Johnson down in it indefinitely.
After all he’s calm going thru a parliamentary inquiry into whether he knowingly misled MPs about all this.
Sue Grey’s record is obligatory, but it could well no longer be the final observe.
On Friday, a No 10 spokesperson acknowledged: “The high minister commissioned the investigation led by Sue Grey and has been clear all the intention thru that it could well be entirely fair.
“As he reiterated yet again currently, the decision on what and when to publish rests totally with the investigation team and he’ll acknowledge in Parliament as soon as it concludes.”
In an announcement, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner acknowledged: “Boris Johnson have to urgently disclose why he held a secret meeting with Sue Grey to chat about her record despite claiming her investigation used to be entirely fair. Public self perception in the job is already depleted, and folk have to understand the truth.
“This is a high minister incapable of taking accountability for the contaminated tradition he has created in Downing Avenue or of doing the decent thing.
Relate offer, PA Media
Relate caption, Civil servant Sue Grey has led an investigation into gatherings which took problem in and spherical Downing Avenue all the intention thru lockdown
“The Sue Grey record must be published in full and with all accompanying proof.”
An length in-between version of the record, published in January, did not name folk but criticised “failures of leadership and judgement” and acknowledged some events must no longer private “been allowed to raise problem”.
The high minister in the period in-between faces an inquiry by the Commons’ Privileges Committee about whether he knowingly lied to Parliament when he previously told MPs that no legal guidelines had been broken in Downing Avenue.
Below executive guidelines, ministers who knowingly mislead the Dwelling of Commons are anticipated to resign.