UK’s Johnson defiant as he receives report into ‘partygate’ scandal

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a long-awaited report from an investigation into lockdown-breaching government parties, the government says.

The Cabinet Office says senior civil servant Sue Gray “has provided an update on her investigations to the Prime Minister.”

Johnson’s office has promised the report will be published “swiftly,” and that the prime minister will address Parliament about its findings.

But some of Gray’s findings are being withheld because of a separate police investigation into whether some of the gatherings broke COVID-19 laws.

Allegations that the prime minister and his staff flouted restrictions imposed on the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus have caused public anger and led some Conservative lawmakers to call for Johnson’s resignation.

Johnson has urged his critics to wait for Gray’s conclusions. He has denied personal wrongdoing and said he has “absolutely no intention” of resigning.

Asked today if he had done anything wrong, Johnson says: “You’re going to have to wait and see the outcome of the investigations.”