The publication of the Sue Gray report could be delayed significantly after Scotland Yard revealed it had asked for references to matters it is now investigating to be removed. Key parts of the long-awaited report on allegations of parties in No 10 that may have broken Covid rules could be pared back after the move. The Metropolitan police announced on Tuesday that they were launching their own investigation, prompting wrangling with the Cabinet Office about what needed to be censored in the findings handed to No 10 to avoid prejudicing officers’ inquiries. Scotland Yard initially denied holding up Gray’s report, but in a statement on Friday it said that for events it was looking into “we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report”. The Met said it “did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation”. The admission led the Liberal Democrats to warn it would be “profoundly damaging” for there to be a hint of an “establishment stitch-up” between the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, and the government. Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, accused the government of being distracted by a “charade of Johnson’s making”, and “paralysed” by attempts to “save his skin”. He said people concerned about tax rises and rising energy bills were “getting no answers from a government mired in sleaze and scandal”, and it was “offensive” that ministers’ “sole focus is on cleaning up after themselves”. Starmer called for Gray’s report to be published “in full, as soon as possible” and urged the Met to “get on with their investigation”, adding the prime minister was “unfit for office”. Johnson’s spokesperson said the Met “should be given time and space” to complete its “independent work”. No 10 has committed to publishing the findings it receives from Gray. But if what is presented is heavily redacted, Johnson’s spokesperson refused to confirm that the full version would be released at a later date, once Scotland Yard’s inquiries are over. Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson, said: “Police officers need the trust and confidence of the public to do their jobs and keep our communities safe. That’s why we called for the police to investigate No 10 weeks ago and put this whole sorry business behind us, instead of waiting for Sue Gray. “The Sue Gray report must be published in full, including all photos, text messages and other evidence. If it is redacted now, a full, unredacted version must be published as soon as the police investigation is complete.” The former prime minister Theresa May broke her silence on “partygate” to say she was angry at the allegations of Covid rule-breaking and warn that if there was evidence of deliberate wrongdoing then “full accountability” should follow. In a letter to her local newspaper, the Maidenhead Advertiser, May said “nobody is above the law” and stressed: “It is vital that those who set the rules, follow the rules … This is important for ensuring the necessary degree of trust between the public and government.”
Tory MPs vented their fury with the Met, with one saying the move would “undermine public confidence in police”. Another said it was a “broken organisation”, commenting: “If No 10 could run a conspiracy like this, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Asked on Friday morning why the Gray report had been delayed, the technology minister, Chris Philp, told LBC: “You will have to ask Sue Gray that, because the timing of the report is up to her. “You will have seen, as I have seen, press speculation it is because she’s discussing with lawyers and police exactly what can and can’t go in it. But the bottom line is I don’t know, because it is a report she’s compiling independently and I have no visibility of what may or may not be in it, or what her thought process is.” Asked what he could offer in terms of a defence of the prime minister, Philp said he would not speculate on what had happened in No 10. “Like everybody else, I’m just going to wait until it is published,” he said. “I’ll read it very carefully when it comes out and I’m not going to speculate … about what the report may or may not contain and what that may or may not mean. Let’s just wait until it comes out. Hopefully it will be soon because I think all of us want to be able to draw a line under this.”