To help explain why this is all such a
big deal in the UK, and why so many
people are angry, let's dial it back to
May 2020.
More than 36,000 people had already died
of COVID. Intensive care units were full
and lockdown rules were strict.
Socialising indoors with anyone from
outside your household was banned, so
families and friends were kept apart.
In mid-May, the government
announced a slight relaxation in the
rules, and ministers went on TV to push
the message.
But it turns out that on the same day as
that TV appearance, a senior official in
Downing Street invited more than 100
staff to socially distanced drinks in
the garden and told them to "bring your
own booze".
And Boris Johnson has acknowledged that
he was there, but that he thought it was
for work.
But that's just one example.
The report that's just come out lists 16
gatherings.
There were goodbye drinks for staff, a
birthday party for the prime minister
and two gatherings in Downing Street the
night before the funeral for Prince
Philip—where the Queen sat alone as she
buried her husband of 73 years.
Now this report was done by a Downing
Street bureaucrat—Sue Gray.
And her investigation became a big part of the
story because once Boris Johnson stopped
denying outright that any rules had been
broken,
waiting for Sue Gray's report kind of
became his main defence.
The thing is, we still don't actually have
Sue Gray's full report. So far it's just
an "update", and that's because the police
decided to launch their own
investigation,
and they asked Sue Gray to hold back on
any juicy details so it wouldn't
compromise their work.
We know now that police are looking into
12 of the gatherings, and the prime
minister attended at least two of those.
According to media reports, he was at
others, too. And another thing Sue Gray
gave the police: a pile of evidence,
including 300 photographs.
It's a lifeline the
prime minister appears to be hanging
onto, and that his opponents are
criticising.
So, what now? Well, the police
investigation could drag on for months.
But in the end the worst anyone will get
for breaking COVID rules is a fine, so no
one's facing jail time. But Boris
Johnson's job is on the line because his
own Conservative MPs could decide to
kick him out. That would involve what's
called a vote of no confidence. To hold
one, 15% of Conservative MPs—so 54
out of 359—have to write a letter to the
head of a special committee. So far only
a few have said publicly that they've
done that. But the process happens in
secret, so we're never quite sure of the
numbers. If a vote does happen, Johnson
would need a simple majority to keep his
job. But again, that's if it even happens.
So, he's promised to make some changes and follow
Sue Gray's recommendations, including
changing the management structure in
No.10.
And that's really a big part of what this comes down to for
Boris Johnson—his style of leadership.
But Conservative MPs are now weighing up
whether "Partygate" and all the public
outrage has damaged the Boris brand so
much that he's now become a liability.
And that's something that Boris Johnson and his allies are
really trying to push, basically saying
there are bigger things to worry about—
like the threat of a Russian invasion of
Ukraine. And he's been visiting Kyiv for
talks about that. And then there's all
the other stuff going on back home.
So the pressure is on for Prime Minister
Johnson—from the police, the public, the
media, the opposition from his own
Conservative Party. And there's pressure
to release the full version of Sue
Gray's report.
Question is, can his political career
survive?
Hi, if you haven't already seen our
recent explainer on what's happening
with Russia and Ukraine. We've linked it
here for you in the meantime. Make sure
to subscribe to this YouTube channel so
that you don't miss our upcoming Start
Here episodes and I'll see you next week