Sue Gray watched Spurs after releasing Partygate update everyone made the same joke

If you’re having to write extensively about Tories and civil servants allegedly breaking the rules during the coronavirus lockdown, then let’s be honest, you’d want a break too once it’s all over.

Well for Sue Gray, the civil servant who has been investigating Partygate, she decided to unwind after publishing her report update in January by watching Tottenham Hotspur FC kick a ball about for 90 minutes.

Good news/we’re sorry to break it to you [delete as appropriate].

The damning update, in which Ms Gray criticised a “serious failure to observe the high standards expected” of the government at the time and the “excessive consumption of alcohol”, wasn’t even the full report.

The civil servant couldn’t release the whole document due to the Metropolitan Police launching their own investigation into the parties – one which is still ongoing, and saw the prime minister and chancellor slapped with fixed penalty notices last week.

And in yet another headache for Ms Gray, who reportedly wants to publish her findings after 26 April (when the Lords return from Easter recess), The Sunday Times claims Met detectives have told her not to release the document until all Partygate fines have been paid.

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News of her attending a football match after releasing her January update was shared by BBC Newsnight journalist Lewis Goodall on Wednesday.

He wrote: “Sue Gray (yes, the Sue Gray) is doing an online civil service event this afternoon. I’m told she just said to staff: ‘I love my current job, not the party part, but the levelling up.’

“[The source] also said she went to watch Tottenham Hotspur after her first report update.”

It seems Twitter users were here for Ms Gray’s support of Spurs, too:

We don’t know which Spurs match she watched, however, with the two closest matches being their games against Chelsea and Southampton on 23 January and 9 February respectively.

Ms Gray’s report was released on 31 January.

It seems it wouldn’t have given her much respite, though, as Tottenham lost both matches.

Can someone give her a break?

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