CIVIL Servant Sue Gray has allegedly discovered the email warning Boris Johnson’s private secretary that the “bring your own booze” party should not go ahead, ITV reports.
The broadcaster’s political editor Robert Peston claimed on Twitter that Gray now has her hands on correspondence between a senior official and Johnson’s aide Martin Reynolds, where they warned against going ahead with the May 20 2020 gathering in Downing Street.
Despite the warnings, the party went ahead, and the Prime Minister later claimed he was told it was a work event - but then later claimed no-one told him that it was breaking the rules.
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Gray is currently heading an inquiry into multiple allegations of party’s at Number 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s official residence.
Previously, former Vote Leave campaign director and PM's top aide Dominic Cummings claimed on his blog that “there was a rule-breaking drinks on 20 May” 2020.
Cummings claimed he and another special adviser warned, via email, that the gathering in the Number 10 garden would be against the rules, but they were ignored.
Cummings claims he warned against the May 20 garden party
Restrictions at the time allowed only two people from different households to meet outside, at a distance of two metres.
Peston said: “I understand Sue Gray has found the email from a senior official to PM’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds warning him the 20 May party should not go ahead, as per Cummings’s revelation and my blog below. So huge…
“Question now for Gray to determine how PM could have thought this party was a legitimate work event as per his narrative.”
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According to a previous blog post by Peston, he claims that a senior government official, who does not want to be named, told ITV that Reynolds reportedly came straight to their office after receiving the email to ask why the party should be cancelled.
Peston, writing in his blog for ITV, added: “Mr Reynolds was told by the email sender - “in the nicest possible way” - that the party was a kind sentiment but it should be cancelled because it broke the rules. Mr Reynolds allegedly said he feared it could be more embarrassing to cancel.”
I understand Sue Gray has found the email from a senior official to PM’s principle private secretary Martin Reynolds warning him the 20 May party should not go ahead, as per Cummings’s revelation and my blog below. So huge…https://t.co/X2nSkHMTp4
— Robert Peston (@Peston) January 20, 2022
It comes after Johnson spent the past week batting off attempts to get him to resign as PM.
Johnson has been under increasing pressure to resign
Claims emerged on Thursday morning that government whips had been using “pressure and intimidation” with MPs in a bid to get them to withdraw letters sent to the 1922 committee.
In a bid to save Johnson’s job, officials reportedly threatened to withdraw public funding from MPs constituencies unless they complied.
A senior Tory was forced to step in and urged any MPs who felt they had been “blackmailed” to approach the Speaker’s Office or the Metropolitan police.
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