The Prime Minister allegedly met with top civil servant Sue Gray in secret to tell her to abandon her report into Partygate.
According to reports inThe Times, Boris Johnson suggested that Sue Gray should not publish her long-awaited report into Partygate during a secret meeting organised by Downing Street.
A source told The TImes: “He asked her is there much point in doing it now that it’s all out there, […] He was inferring that she didn’t need to publish the report.”
It follows an admittance by his team yesterday that it had requested a face-to-face meeting between the top civil servant tasked with investigating endemic Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street and Whitehall.
Previously, Downing Street had maintained that Sue Gray requested the meeting and refused to reveal what had been discussed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speechless.
We now know the reason the PM met with Sue Gray, was to ask her not to release the report.
Despite the meeting, it is believed that Sue Gray could release her report as early as Wednesday morning.
The news follows the release of photographs apparently showing the Prime Minister drinking at a party in No.10 when, eight days before, he had banned people from socialising indoor with people outside their household and weddings were not allowed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr Johnson wasn’t fined for attending the event, but others were – including at least one other person pictured in the photographs.
Asked by an MP in the House of Commons on 8 December last year whether there had been a gathering on that date, the Prime Minister said there was not.
He told Labour MP Catherine West : “I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Prime Minister is now open to the charge of knowingly misleading parliament.
A Downing Street source has said that the fact the Prime Minister had his red box and was ‘dropping in on a leaving do for a colleague’ made the case that he was ‘believed he was working’.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who oversees the Metropolitan Police, has this morning joined calls for the force to explain why they didn’t fine Boris Johnson for attending the lockdown party.
He told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today Programme that the force should set out its thinking behind the decision not to fine the Prime Minister, after the release of new photographs byITVNews on Monday night.
21/05/2020. London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak join the Nation in the ‘Clap for our Carers’ at 8pm outside 10 Downing Street, to give thanks to the NHS and Key Workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Picture by Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street.
Mr Khan said: “I think it’s important when it comes to trust and confidence, when it comes to policing by consent, when it comes to questions being asked about the integrity of an investigation, that the police explain why they reached the conclusions they have.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Police announced they had concluded their Partygate investigation on Thursday after handing out 126 fines for 10 gatherings.
Mr Johnson received one fixed penalty notice for attending an illegal gathering, despite evidence that he was also present at others.
The Liberal Democrats have now asked the Police Watchdog to investigate the Met’s decision.
Manchester locals appealing for more information over a month after from finding family member’s body
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester family are still calling for more information now over a month on from the discovery of a man’s body at his Chorlton home.
William Riddell, 49, was found dead in the bedroom of a property on Astbury Avenue at approximately 11:35pm on Sunday, 10 November after being found by his stepdaughter, Sarah Hayden.
Details surrounding his passing are still scarce but a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released on bail “pending further enquiries”, leaving Sarah and the rest of her family still none the wiser as to the exact nature of his death.
Preparing to spend their first Christmas without him, they have issued a desperate appeal for more information, urging anyone who might have information to come forward.
#APPEAL | The family of a man who died last month are appealing to the public for information as they face their first Christmas without him.
Billy Riddell was sadly found dead at his property in Manchester, with enquiries continuing.
Riddell, more commonly known as Billy by those close to him, was described as a “good, caring man with a big heart” and a popular figure in the local area.
Speaking via Greater Manchester Police, Sarah, said: “I want to be Billy’s voice and get answers for him. Billy was a nice and lovely man and all the community knew who he was. He was well-liked and we gave him a good send-off at his funeral.
“I would just ask anyone who knew him or has any information to come forward and tell police. Even if you think it’s a little or small thing – please come forward. We just want to get to the bottom of what has happened.”
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, who serves on GMP‘s Major Incident Team, added in an official statement: “The family of Billy deserve answers following his death and we are working hard to ensure they get exactly that.
“We have closely supported Sarah and the wider family over the last month, and we will continue to provide assistance wherever we can as they face their first Christmas without him.
“While a suspect has been bailed, we are still working flat-out to understand more about Billy’s life, the people he was close to, and events leading up to his death just over a month ago.”
With that in mind, both GMP and Riddell’s family are asking anyone who might know anything or have information regarding people associated with Billy to come forward, reiterating that “even if you consider something to be small – your help could greatly benefit our investigation.”
You can contact police via 101 or by using the live chat function HERE, quoting log 3227 of 10/11/24.
Alternatively, you can contact the UK’s independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
Government aims to ‘turn the tide’ on homelessness with £1 billion funding boost
Emily Sergeant
Nearly £1 billion of funding is being pumped into Council budgets to help “break the cycle of spiralling homelessness” in 2025.
As part of the Government‘s wider ‘Plan For Change’, and in a bid to help tackle, reduce, and prevent homelessness next year, it’s been announced that more resources will be be made available for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing.
This significant investment means Councils will now be “better equipped” to step in early and stop households from becoming homeless in the first place.
According to the Government’s plans, these funded measures will include mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, helping homeless people find new homes, and providing deposits to access private renting.
This government is determined to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness.
— Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov (@mhclg) December 18, 2024
The funding will also be used to address the growing use of B&Bs and nightly-let accommodation, and the streamlining of funding structures to make it easier for Councils to spend their cash.
Areas across the UK can also choose to channel resources into services such as Housing First.
Housing First has been massively successful in Greater Manchester, and has helped house hundreds of our region’s rough sleepers since it was first piloted, being described as “life-changing” along the way.
More than £633 million of the funding will be allocated for the Homelessness Prevention Grant – which is a £192 million increase from this year – while £185.6 million will go to the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, more than £37 million to the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, and £5 million will be for the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots.
This new £1 billion funding boost comes after it was announced back in September that Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished in England next year as part of the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill.
It will also look to support the Government’s ambition to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation – with an extra £500 million ploughed into the Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.
Georgina Pellant -
24th May 2022 
