The long-awaited “Partygate” report was released Monday, and for the second time in three weeks, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Parliament apologizing for a series of Downing Street parties that took place when the country was in lockdown. The video shows clips of Johnson’s comments. The report found “some of the behavior surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.”
“At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe 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,” the report, published by senior civil servant Sue Gray, said. “At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public.”
The report not only took issue with the lockdown parties, but it also noted “excessive consumption of alcohol” that was “not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.” According to the Partygate report, “some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviors they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so.”
“No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it,” the report said. “There should be easier ways for staff to raise such concerns informally, outside of the line management chain.”
Speaking in front of parliament, Prime Minister Johnson said he is “making changes now to the way Downing Street and the Cabinet Office run” in the wake of the Partygate report.
“First, it is time to sort out what Sue Gray rightly calls the fragmented and complicated leadership structures of Downing Street, which she says have not evolved sufficiently,” Johnson said. “I get it and I will fix it.”
Despite pledging to make changes, Johnson received additional pressure to resign Monday.
“Prime Minister, the British public aren’t fools,” Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said, addressing Johnson in Parliament Monday. “They think the prime minister should do the decent thing and resign. Of course he won’t, because he is a man without shame.”