Failures of leadership and judgment in 10 Downing Street allowed staff gatherings to go ahead, the investigation into lockdown parties has found.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray’s much anticipated report into lockdown gatherings on government premises highlighted officials’ excessive drinking while the rest of the country was in lockdown, to the degree that one member of staff was sick and a minor fight broke out.
“I found that some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly. I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable,” wrote Gray in her final report.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons he took “full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch” and that he was “humbled” by the experience.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, himself being investigated by police over a lockdown gathering in Durham, urged Conservative MPs to tell the PM “to pack his bags”.
The terms of reference of Gray’s investigation stated that its findings of the investigations would be made public, but that any specific HR action against individuals would remain confidential.
Last week the Metropolitan Police said it had imposed 126 fixed penalty notices to individuals, for gatherings on eight separate dates from May 2020 to April 2021.
One WhatsApp message by a No. 10 official unearthed by Gray’s investigation read: “Drinks this eve is a lovely idea so I’ve shared with the E&V team who are in the office. Just to flag that the press conference will probably be finishing around that time, so helpful if people can be mindful of that as speakers and cameras are leaving, not walking around waving bottles of wine etc.”
Martin Reynolds, principal private secretary to the PM, wrote in another WhatsApp message to a special adviser: “Best of luck – a complete non story but better than them focusing on our drinks (which we seem to have got away with).”
At a leaving do in the Cabinet Office on 18 June 2020, Helen MacNamara, deputy cabinet secretary, was said to have provided a karaoke machine.
Gray’s finding included: “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. There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.
“The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time. Steps must be taken to ensure that every government department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”
She added: “Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours 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. There should be easier ways for staff to raise such concerns informally, outside of the line management chain.”
Gray described 10 Downing Street as now more akin to a small government department, but that as it has grown, its leadership structures had not evolved. “They are fragmented and complicated and this has sometimes led to the blurring of lines of accountability. Too much responsibility and expectation is placed on the senior official whose principal function is the direct support of the Prime Minister. This should be addressed as a matter of priority.”
Jonathan Maude, chair of the London employment team at law firm Vedder Price, said: “The publication of Sue Gray’s report is not the end of the story. Her findings are in the spotlight and will be challenged by some bombastic characters that will try to blow the conclusions off-course.
“It is to be expected that an investigation and its findings will be challenged and investigators should approach an investigation on this basis. The inclusion of photos in Sue Gray’s report is not embellishment to satisfy the media; investigators need to be transparent and record their evidence so that when challenged, they can show how and why they have reached their conclusions.
“Ultimately, what the Sue Gray investigation and report illustrates is that if you make the rules, you have to stand by them, whether in politics or business.”
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Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, said: “Sue Gray’s report highlights several key issues which are present in organisations across the country. First, junior employees will follow the examples set by senior figures. As such, it’s important that core values of equality, inclusivity, acting ethically and respect are ingrained from the top down, with full adherence to robust policies and procedures. Failure to do so will lead to the creation of a negative company culture which does not facilitate true diversity or basic professionalism.
“The report also shines a light on the importance of having strong management structures, with appropriate channels for employees (especially junior staff) to raise any concerns. In this case, staff were often worried about speaking out against events since their senior managers were directly involved in their organisation.”
