The Fort Worth Press - UK 'partygate' report slams 'failures of leadership'

USD -
AED 3.673042
AFN 68.800364
ALL 89.943091
AMD 388.618256
ANG 1.809697
AOA 923.000367
ARS 975.742773
AUD 1.471454
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.780833
BBD 2.027407
BDT 119.990895
BGN 1.783078
BHD 0.37669
BIF 2913.180059
BMD 1
BND 1.303346
BOB 6.938311
BRL 5.457188
BSD 1.004143
BTN 84.256772
BWP 13.28204
BYN 3.286046
BYR 19600
BZD 2.023947
CAD 1.35795
CDF 2871.000362
CHF 0.857524
CLF 0.033526
CLP 925.08081
CNY 7.01845
CNH 7.099204
COP 4206.965627
CRC 520.828591
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 100.400637
CZK 23.103704
DJF 178.802641
DKK 6.793504
DOP 60.386979
DZD 133.337583
EGP 48.305941
ERN 15
ETB 120.122194
EUR 0.910604
FJD 2.21245
FKP 0.761559
GBP 0.762108
GEL 2.740391
GGP 0.761559
GHS 15.885272
GIP 0.761559
GMD 69.000355
GNF 8669.246529
GTQ 7.769634
GYD 210.070567
HKD 7.76645
HNL 24.967903
HRK 6.799011
HTG 132.392443
HUF 365.803831
IDR 15670
ILS 3.815945
IMP 0.761559
INR 84.03035
IQD 1315.365354
IRR 42105.000352
ISK 135.660386
JEP 0.761559
JMD 158.661507
JOD 0.708504
JPY 148.72504
KES 129.533349
KGS 84.703799
KHR 4075.574778
KMF 448.950384
KPW 899.999433
KRW 1346.870383
KWD 0.30633
KYD 0.836786
KZT 484.935124
LAK 22172.547234
LBP 89917.960392
LKR 294.905532
LRD 193.790121
LSL 17.542363
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.788527
MAD 9.821534
MDL 17.617118
MGA 4599.134987
MKD 56.107444
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999955
MOP 8.029684
MRU 39.752333
MUR 46.490378
MVR 15.350378
MWK 1741.133622
MXN 19.287039
MYR 4.221504
MZN 63.903729
NAD 17.542363
NGN 1637.680377
NIO 36.949693
NOK 10.656204
NPR 134.810835
NZD 1.623245
OMR 0.38503
PAB 1.004143
PEN 3.740496
PGK 3.999089
PHP 56.642504
PKR 278.6402
PLN 3.93179
PYG 7826.997496
QAR 3.661097
RON 4.537504
RSD 106.550421
RUB 95.606647
RWF 1360.437059
SAR 3.756281
SBD 8.278713
SCR 15.010372
SDG 601.503676
SEK 10.370404
SGD 1.303604
SHP 0.761559
SLE 22.847303
SLL 20969.494858
SOS 573.82199
SRD 31.20366
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.785796
SYP 2512.529936
SZL 17.53517
THB 33.278038
TJS 10.69374
TMT 3.51
TND 3.071614
TOP 2.342104
TRY 34.125504
TTD 6.809925
TWD 32.286038
TZS 2736.171181
UAH 41.33913
UGX 3682.221716
UYU 41.994081
UZS 12793.0799
VEF 3622552.534434
VES 36.989445
VND 24770
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.797463
XAF 597.274755
XAG 0.031071
XAU 0.000377
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.746733
XOF 597.274755
XPF 108.59094
YER 250.303591
ZAR 17.482504
ZMK 9001.203587
ZMW 26.432962
ZWL 321.999592
  • BCC

    0.6100

    138.9

    +0.44%

  • SCS

    0.3500

    12.97

    +2.7%

  • NGG

    -0.4700

    66.5

    -0.71%

  • RIO

    -0.1300

    69.7

    -0.19%

  • CMSC

    -0.0400

    24.7

    -0.16%

  • CMSD

    -0.0770

    24.813

    -0.31%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.28

    -0.15%

  • BCE

    -0.1300

    33.71

    -0.39%

  • GSK

    0.4500

    38.82

    +1.16%

  • BTI

    0.1800

    35.29

    +0.51%

  • AZN

    -0.4600

    77.47

    -0.59%

  • RBGPF

    58.9400

    58.94

    +100%

  • RYCEF

    0.0000

    6.98

    0%

  • RELX

    -0.3200

    46.29

    -0.69%

  • VOD

    -0.0300

    9.66

    -0.31%

  • BP

    0.4200

    32.88

    +1.28%

UK 'partygate' report slams 'failures of leadership'
UK 'partygate' report slams 'failures of leadership'

UK 'partygate' report slams 'failures of leadership'

A long-awaited report into claims of lockdown-breaking parties at British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's offices was published in part on Monday, criticising "failures of leadership" that allowed events to go ahead.

Text size:

Political and public anger at the revelations put Johnson's position as leader under threat, but senior civil servant Sue Gray has been forced not to go into detail on all events due to a separate police probe.

After interviewing more than 70 people about 16 events held in 2020 and last year, Gray said what she could say was "extremely limited" owing to the Metropolitan police's intervention.

But she found that given the demands the government was making of the public to fight the spread of coronavirus, "some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify".

Some represented a "serious failure" to observe the high standards expected of those working in government, and "too little thought" was given to how appropriate the events were at the time and how they would be perceived.

"There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 (Downing Street) and the Cabinet Office at different times," Gray wrote in her 12-page report.

"Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did."

Gray also criticised the drinking culture at the heart of government in the report, which saw her examine emails, text messages, photos and Downing Street's entry and exit logs.

Johnson's immediate future had been in doubt until the Met police said last week it was also looking into 12 of the 16 events for possible breaches of coronavirus regulations.

Scotland Yard's request for Gray not to publish her report in full has given Johnson some breathing space while detectives conduct their own enquiries.

A copy of the redacted report was delivered to Downing Street on Monday morning and Johnson is due to respond to it in parliament at 1530 GMT.

Johnson's opponents have accused him of misleading parliament by insisting the events at Downing Street were within the rules at the time and were work-related.

Ministers found to have misled MPs are normally expected to resign. But on a visit on Monday, Johnson told reporters: "I stick absolutely to what I've said in the past."

- Room for manoeuvre -

Weeks of revelations in the British media since December have seen leaked photographs and emails indicating repeated breaches of social distancing rules the government set.

They include a cocktail party in May 2020 in the Downing Street garden, as well as Christmas celebrations, and also a boozy get-together before Prince Philip's funeral in April.

Details of that event, at which staff reportedly brought a suitcase-full of alcohol and danced until the small hours, caused outrage given the socially distanced memorial.

An enduring image of the funeral was Queen Elizabeth II, sat alone in the chapel at Windsor Castle, mourning her husband of 73 years.

Downing Street later apologised to the monarch.

The revelations have posed the greatest threat to Johnson's position since he became prime minister in 2019 on a wave of support for his populist Brexit agenda.

A handful of his own Conservative party MPs are on record as saying they had no confidence in his leadership. More have been expected to join them.

Fifty-four Tory MPs are required to force a no-confidence vote but many have been keeping their counsel until the Gray report comes out.

With only a limited report released by Gray, and the police inquiry potentially lasting months, that has allowed Johnson to regroup his supporters and get back on the front foot.

In recent days he has talked tough against Russia in the simmering tensions with Ukraine, and is keen to push on with his post-Brexit agenda.

A.Williams--TFWP