Politics
Becca Monaghan
Jan 31, 2022
Independent TV
A version of Sue Gray's hotly-anticipated report into No 10 and Whitehall parties during lockdown has been released – and Twitter, as always, have put their own spin on it.
Gray's report revealed 12 events are being investigated by the police, including a gathering in the Downing Street flat and a birthday event for the prime minister in June 2020.
The senior civil servant criticised the "serious failure" off the back of "some" of the events, "not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time."
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said Gray had provided an "update" on her investigation to the PM, suggesting it was not the full report she was preparing before the Metropolitan Police intervened.
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Upon the report's release, people turned to Twitter to poke fun at the 12 pages of findings for the dozens of parties. One described the "hype" being diminished to a "polite telling off."
Got bored before I'd pasted all 16pic.twitter.com/1Eg01lKwd8— James Felton (@James Felton) 1643643298
12 pages for literally dozens of parties?!pic.twitter.com/o2BVihWR0u— Ben Kelly (@Ben Kelly) 1643642402
Just imagine what we look like to the rest of the world right now\u2026— James Oh Brien (@James Oh Brien) 1643641607
Wow this bit of Sue Gray's report is madpic.twitter.com/oHw9s9vHbX— Sophie Hall (@Sophie Hall) 1643639869
The Sue Gray reporthttps://twitter.com/sarahgarnermeow/status/1487831822818070530\u00a0\u2026— Sophia (@Sophia) 1643639762
been waiting for this Sue Gray report to drop like a new fucking Kanye album— Cole Dunn (@Cole Dunn) 1643639741
Only 12? Was really expecting 50 pages of Gray.https://twitter.com/davidtwilcock/status/1488155849264705537\u00a0\u2026— Gary Lineker \ud83d\udc99 (@Gary Lineker \ud83d\udc99) 1643639511
All that hype for a polite telling off.— Adam Crafton (@Adam Crafton) 1643639332
reading sue gray's reportpic.twitter.com/YhHMz1LKrM— Parker (@Parker) 1643639211
Sue Gray report, the tl,dr version:pic.twitter.com/nAMNg7KY5F— Methane Powered Fusilier (@Methane Powered Fusilier) 1643639724
Flashback to my A Level examspic.twitter.com/f56KBeORlu— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1643640266
In essence, Sue Gray is saying this is Chapter 1...— WWW Citizen Pangloss (@WWW Citizen Pangloss) 1643639758
Something I've never seen before.\n\nBBC News Channel is show us a PDF live on television.pic.twitter.com/uV9EuXl0pb— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1643639472
Me replying to emails on a Mondaypic.twitter.com/5KjfdL1zIu— Sophie Hall (@Sophie Hall) 1643639307
It's Sue Gray Eve! It's Sue Gray Eve! She's coming tomorrow!\n\nRemember to leave out milk, cookies and letters of resignation! \n\nOur first #Cuttings sketch of the year! @DeneHorgan93 @MaisiePreston4 @NatashaSPatel \n\n#SueGray #BorisJohnson #PartyGate #Comedy #10DowningStreet https://twitter.com/OliverGeorgeCl1/status/1295285007506964480\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/NDvOEWpxh8— Ollie George Clark \u270d\ufe0f (@Ollie George Clark \u270d\ufe0f) 1643571012
not a failure of leadership, of all the thingspic.twitter.com/HW682BdoeS— Neon Genesis Ewangelion (@Neon Genesis Ewangelion) 1643640422
Gray's inquiry said there was "too little thought given to what was happening across the country" and acknowledged "the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public".
The Downing Street garden was used "without clear authorisation or oversight" in a way that was "not appropriate".
Gray's report concluded: "The gatherings within the scope of this investigation are spread over a 20-month period – a period that has been unique in recent times in terms of the complexity and breadth of the demands on public servants and indeed the general public.
"The whole of the country rose to the challenge. Ministers, special advisers and the Civil Service, of which I am proud to be a part, were a key and dedicated part of that national effort.
"However, as I have noted, a number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did. There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government. This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded."
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