Calling the civil service a “blob” is insulting and totally unacceptable, the UK’s most senior civil servant has argued. Ministers who use such “dehumanising” language to characterise the civil service demonstrate “self-defeating cowardice,” cabinet secretary Simon Case told a cross-party group of MPs. He attributed the worsening relations between the public sector staff and ministers…

Partygate investigator Sue Gray broke civil service rules “as a result of the undeclared contact” between her and the Labour Party, a Cabinet Office investigation has found. Gray—who led an investigation into allegations of parties being held in Downing Street in breach of the COVID-19 lockdown rules—accepted a job offer from Labour leader Sir Keir…

Partygate investigator Sue Gray can start working as chief of staff of the Labour Party from September, six months after resigning from the civil service, Whitehall’s appointments watchdog has said. Gray—who led an investigation into allegations of parties being held in Downing Street in breach of the COVID-19 lockdown rules—accepted a job offer from Labour…

Partygate investigator Sue Gray “declined to make representations” to an investigation into whether she broke the Civil Service Code by accepting a job as chief of staff of the Labour Party, it has emerged. Gray—who led an investigation into allegations of parties being held in Downing Street in breach of the COVID-19 lockdown rules—accepted a…

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have misled Parliament at least four times over the “partygate” scandal, a committee of MPs has said. The Privileges Committee of the House of Commons is conducting an investigation to establish whether Johnson committed contempt of Parliament by telling the House on several occasions that no parties were…

A legal campaign group has lost a bid to bring a High Court challenge against the London Metropolitan Police over the force’s investigation into former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s role in the “Partygate” scandal. Last May, the Met said its investigation into breaches of COVID-19 lockdown rules in Downing Street and Whitehall had resulted in…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he accepts “full responsibility” for the “partygate” scandal after an official inquiry blamed the “senior leadership” in his government for the culture which led to the COVID-19 breaches. The police investigation into breaches of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus rules in Downing Street and Whitehall has ended, with…

Boris Johnson has insisted he will not seek to block names appearing in the Sue Gray inquiry report into partygate and said he is “looking forward” to seeing its contents “pretty soon”. The Prime Minister said he was “very grateful” for the Metropolitan Police’s investigation, which concluded with 126 fines for lockdown breaches in Downing…