A long-awaited report into the Downing Street party scandal has blamed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior officials for failures of leadership at the heart of the British government.
Mr Johnson said he had "learnt my lesson" after the final 37-page report by civil service investigator Sue Gray gave the fullest account yet of numerous social gatherings at Downing Street, saying it was clear some of them were not in line with coronavirus rules.
Embarrassing details in the report included a June 2020 leaving event that ended with one staff member being sick, people partying until the early hours of the morning, a Christmas party that left drink stains on a Downing Street wall and three cases where Ms Gray described excessive drinking by aides.
The revelations that senior figures partied while the public was banned from socialising outraged many people who made often harrowing sacrifices during three national lockdowns. The scandal left Mr Johnson fighting for his political life after opposition MPs claimed he had misled parliament about the events.
Ms Gray's report, which included pictures of Mr Johnson with food and drinks laid out at Downing Street, found that concerns had been raised about some of the gatherings but that staff felt unable to speak up and that security and cleaning workers suffered an unacceptable "lack of respect and poor treatment".
Mr Johnson told MPs he took responsibility for what had happened but defended staff who had worked long hours in the cramped conditions of the government’s townhouse headquarters. He said he had not known about the late-night events that went on into the early hours and apologised to staff who were mistreated.
He said a previous statement to parliament that rules had been followed at all times had reflected "what I believed to be true" ― deflecting the politically explosive charge of misleading MPs.
"I am confident with the changes and new structures that are now in place, that we are humbled by the experience and we have learnt our lesson," he said.
Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, said the report had "laid bare the rot that under this prime minister has spread in Number 10" and exposed how the sacrifices of British people were treated with "utter contempt".
"This report will stand as a monument to the hubris and the arrogance of a government that believed it was one rule for them and another rule for everyone else," Mr Starmer said.
The report found:
· Staff carried on drinking in Number 10 until the early hours of the morning on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, with the last departure recorded at 4.20am.
· Mr Johnson joined five advisers in a “food and alcohol” event in his Downing Street flat on the evening of the announcement of Dominic Cummings’ departure as chief adviser.
· Former propriety and ethics chief Helen MacNamara provided a karaoke machine for a Cabinet Office gathering where one individual was sick and there was a “minor altercation” between two others.
· Martin Reynolds, senior adviser to the prime minister at the time, boasted “we seem to have got away with” the bring-your-own-booze garden party in a WhatsApp message to a special adviser.
The report was handed to Downing Street on Wednesday after Ms Gray and her team interviewed dozens of people and examined emails, WhatsApp messages and Downing Street entry and exit logs.
Her findings were held back for months while the Metropolitan Police carried out a separate investigation, which resulted in Mr Johnson being fined over a birthday event and dozens of other penalties being handed out.
MPs on Mr Johnson’s Conservative benches have so far failed to muster the 54 letters they would need to trigger a leadership vote, and potential rebels will be closely watched in the coming days.
Supporters of the prime minister have sought to portray the birthday incident as a minor lapse and played down the significance of the scandal at a time of war in Europe. Critics are asking why Mr Johnson did not receive more fines.
"The events that I investigated were attended by leaders in government. Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen," Ms Gray wrote.
SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
%3Cp%3E%22Whatever%20the%20initial%20intent%2C%20what%20took%20place%20at%20many%20of%20these%20gatherings%20and%20the%3Cbr%3Eway%20in%20which%20they%20developed%20was%20not%20in%20line%20with%20Covid%20guidance%20at%20the%20time.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22Many%20of%20these%20events%20should%20not%20have%20been%20allowed%20to%20happen.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20case%20that%20some%20of%20the%3Cbr%3Emore%20junior%20civil%20servants%20believed%20that%20their%20involvement%20in%20some%20of%20these%20events%20was%20permitted%20given%20the%20attendance%20of%20senior%20leaders.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22The%20senior%20leadership%20at%20the%20centre%2C%20both%20political%20and%20official%2C%20must%20bear%20responsibility%20for%20this%20culture.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20found%20that%20some%20staff%20had%20witnessed%20or%20been%20subjected%20to%20behaviours%20at%20work%20which%20they%20had%20felt%20concerned%20about%20but%20at%20times%20felt%20unable%20to%20raise%20properly.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20was%20made%20aware%20of%20multiple%20examples%20of%20a%20lack%20of%20respect%20and%20poor%20treatment%20of%20security%20and%20cleaning%20staff.%20This%20was%20unacceptable.%22%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
"It is also the case that some of the more junior civil servants believed that their involvement in some of these events was permitted given the attendance of senior leaders. The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture."
Ms Gray investigated 16 events between May 2020 and April 2021, including eight gatherings that led to people being fined by the police.
One event in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 went ahead despite Lee Cain, who was communications director at the time, writing in an email that a drinks invitation for 200 people was "somewhat of a comms risk in the current environment".
Another adviser said cameras and speakers would be near by after a press conference and advised officials "to be mindful of that". Mr Johnson eventually spoke to staff for about 30 minutes while they had drinks and pizza, the report said.
Weeks later, a senior official provided a karaoke machine during an hours-long leaving party that ended with one person being sick, a "minor altercation" between two others and the last guest leaving at 3.13 in the morning.
At Mr Johnson's birthday event the following day, sandwiches, snacks and cans of drinks were set up in the Cabinet room, although Ms Gray said the prime minister had not known about the event in advance.
Another leaving event, with drinks, in November 2020 was described as an impromptu gathering, but about 15 to 20 people attended. Shortly before Christmas, Mr Johnson read out questions in an online quiz, at an event where staff were advised to leave 10 Downing Street by a rear exit to avoid being photographed.
One of the most sensitive revelations concerned a party on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, where the image of a solitary Queen Elizabeth II touched public hearts and came to sum up the sacrifices of lockdown.
Ms Gray said two events had taken place involving dozens of people, in which music was played from a laptop, "a number of those present drank excessively" and a child's swing was damaged by people leaning on it. Some people stayed deep into the night and the last attendee left the building at 4.20am.
Other events did not get a rebuke from Ms Gray. She accepted that a photo of a different garden gathering in May 2020 showed a work meeting, and decided not to reopen an investigation into an event at Mr Johnson's private Downing Street flat in November that year.
The events in question took place while the public was subject to heavy restrictions, and Ms Gray wrote that "what took place at many of these gatherings and the way in which they developed was not in line with Covid guidance at the time".
"Even allowing for the extraordinary pressures officials and advisers were under, the factual findings of this report illustrate some attitudes and behaviours inconsistent with that guidance," she said.
"Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of government. The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this."
Police said last week they had closed their investigation after issuing 126 fines against 83 people, linked to eight events. Their months-long inquiry took some of the heat out of the scandal and delayed the publication of Ms Gray’s findings, but new revelations in recent days again increase the pressure on Mr Johnson.
Photos were published on Monday of Mr Johnson raising a glass at an apparent leaving party, while witnesses on a BBC Panorama programme broadcast on Tuesday described what they said were regular social events during lockdown.
One recalled how staff had mocked a security guard who “tried to stop it all and he was just shaking his head in this party, being like ‘this shouldn’t be happening’”.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
OPENING FIXTURES
Saturday September 12
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Fulham v Arsenal
Liverpool v Leeds United
Tottenham v Everton
West Brom v Leicester
West Ham v Newcastle
Monday September 14
Brighton v Chelsea
Sheffield United v Wolves
To be rescheduled
Burnley v Manchester United
Manchester City v Aston Villa
'Hocus%20Pocus%202'
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Anne%20Fletcher%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Bette%20Midler%2C%20Sarah%20Jessica%20Parker%2C%20Kathy%20Najimy%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
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