Sue Gray’s report about lockdown socialising within government buildings has named a number of high-ranking officials.
This document details their participation in various gatherings that were investigated by the senior civil servant.
Ms Gray stated that the names of those named were chosen because they have “wider responsibility for leadership and culture” in government.
We will look at the major people she mentioned.
Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary since September 2020, was first appointed to the probe into political parties in government offices after initial newspaper reports were published late last year.
After it was revealed that a staff quiz took place in his office in December 2020 and Ms Gray had been appointed to take over, he decided to resign.
Although he was not reported to have attended the event, he did consume beer and chat with his staff for about 15 minutes afterwards.
It is confirmed that he attended briefly a Boris Johnson birthday party in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 after arriving early to a meeting. He was at this time No 10’s permanent secretary.
According to the report, while in the same position, he attended the “first formal portion” of a leaving party for a No10 official that same month. Around 25 people were present.
Boris Johnson was fined by Met police along with his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sonak for attending the June 2020 birthday party. However, it is understood that Mr Case has not been issued a Partygate penalty.
He is the UK’s highest ranking civil servant and acts as the head of the Civil Service.
He was 41 years old when he was promoted to cabinet secretary, just a few months after the pandemic.
He was also the Duke’s private secretary.
The former City lawyer, who was appointed the prime minister’s principal personal secretary in October 2019, was responsible for Boris Johnson’s private offices during the worst of the pandemic.
He was a previously unknown figure. However, his story came to light when it was revealed that he had sent staff an email inviting them to a party at No 10 Garden in May 2020. The report claims that he attended.
According to the document Lee Cain, the then director of communications, advised Reynolds to cancel the event. However, Reynolds “doesn’t recall any such conversation”.
Ms Gray claims that Mr Reynolds sent an email to a No. 10 special advisor the next day, saying the gathering was “lots of fun”. He also texted a special advisor on an unknown date to say they had “got away” with the event.
According to the report, he also emailed his staff inviting them to the PM’s birthday party in Cabinet Room. He also attended the second half of the June 2020 leaving party.
In February, he resigned from his position as part of a series of resignations by senior staff following the publication of Ms Gray’s interim report. It is unknown if he was subject to a Partygate penalty.
According to the government, he will be returning to Foreign Office where he previously held many roles, including that of Ambassador to Libya for the UK.
After being the first and only civil servant to admit that he had been subject to a Partygate penalty from police, the former deputy cabinet secretary apologized in April.
She had left government by the time that the story was published to become the director of policy for the English Premier League.
According to Ms Gray’s report, she attended the June 2020 leave-taking party later in the evening and provided a karaoke machine that was set up in an adjacent office.
Before she was appointed deputy cabinet secretary, her previous role included director general for ethics and propriety in the Cabinet Office.
Prior to this, she was employed in the culture department and as the director of housing planning and development.
Boris Johnson, a former newspaper journalist, made his way to Downing Street in July 2019 as Boris Johnson’s first director of communications.
Despite being promoted to chief of staff, he resigned in November 2020 amid internal tensions at Downing Street.
Ms Gray’s report published several photos of him leaving, including one taken in No 10. These pictures show the prime minister standing at a table filled with wine bottles while proposing a toast.
According to the BBC, at least one person was fined for attending the event. However, it is unknown if Mr Cain received a fine. The PM was not penalized for attending.
Martin Reynolds received email and Whatsapp messages from Mr Cain, which described the June 2020 gardening party and leaving event for a No10 staffer as a “comms threat”. The report states that he attended briefly the garden drinks to determine who was there.
He was one of the PM’s former closest aides. He had previously worked with Mr Johnson at the Foreign Office, and worked for the Vote Brexit campaign during the Brexit referendum.
In April 2021, the former Daily Mail journalist became the PM’s director for communications.
When it was revealed that he had given awards to staff at an event at No 10 in December 2020 while he was Downing Street’s press secretary, he made headlines.
According to Ms Gray, the ceremony was held with staff bringing food and alcohol. There were between 15-45 people present.
The report states that the event lasted for several hours with different levels of attendance, and some staff members drinking “excessively”.
As part of the wave in resignations that took place in February, he left Downing Street. It is unknown if he was subject to a Partygate penalty.
In January, the former Cabinet Office official apologized to her for attending her own December 2020 leaving do.
This event was held in her department to mark her departure as director general of Covid taskforce, which is responsible for drafting pandemic restrictions.
Gray reports that around 20-30 officials attended the event, with staff providing crisps, beer, and Prosecco, and music being played on a smartphone. The event ended between 11.30 and 11.44pm with six pizzas ordered.
According to the report, social distancing guidelines were supposed to be followed. However, “this didn’t happen because those in the room gathered together in small groups and there was also mingling among groups”.
During her first month as the PS190,000.00-a-year chief executive at Sheffield City Council, news of her attendance broke. Since then, she has been on paid leave as an external investigator investigates the incident.
After the Gray report was published, Ms. Josephs reaffirmed her apology. It is unknown if she was fined.
Boris Johnson, formerly the official spokesperson for the PM since 2017, was promoted to James Slack as his director of communications. He will be retiring in 2021.
The ex-Daily Mail reporter was only there for a few months before he left No 10 to become deputy editor-in chief at the Sun.
The Queen received an apology from Downing Street earlier this year, when the details of his April 2021 party were published in the press.
Ms Gray claims that the event lasted many hours and was merged with another leaving do in No 10.
She says that although the group broke up at 9.30pm, some staff members stayed until the wee hours of the morning.
Mr. Slack previously apologized for the party’s “anger and hurt” and said it “shouldn’t have happened at that time.” It is unknown if he was subject to a Partygate penalty.
Lord Sedwill served as cabinet secretary during the initial phase of the pandemic. He resigned in September 2020 due to tensions with Boris Johnson’s senior team members.
According to the report, he was present at the June 2020 event for a No10 official and attended by his successor. He also granted staff permission to use his office for “a brief time”.
He was not like Simon Case. However, he served as national security advisor while he performed the role of cabinet secretary.
Before becoming the UK’s top civil servant in April 2018, his 20-year career included a stint as the UK’s ambassador to Afghanistan.
After standing down, he received his peerage. It is unknown if he received a Partygate fine.
