I’ve been vindicated

But Gray report savages staff for being sick, rude to cleaners and fighting — while partying till 4am

OVER 37 pages, Sue Gray’s report set out how some Whitehall staff broke lockdown rules to hold boozy parties while the rest of Britain stayed home.

It was damning about the culture in No10 and critical of senior figures who allowed and even organised the events.

But the report did not contain the smoking gun evidence of wrongdoing by Boris Johnson his critics had hoped for, allowing him to say he felt ‘vindicated’ over the Partygate affair.

May 15, 2020: Cheese and wine in No 10 garden

At around 6pm, Mr Johnson, his principal private secretary Martin Reynolds and Dominic Cummings gathered on the outside terrace to continue a meeting that had started indoors.

Mr Johnson brought cheese and wine from his flat and was joined briefly by wife Carrie. He went inside at around 7.20pm. Nearby in the garden, then-health secretary Matt Hancock discussed a recent Covid press conference with aides.

May 20, 2020: ‘We seem to have got away with [it]’

An invitation was sent by Mr Reynolds to around 200 Downing Street staff. ‘Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!’ he wrote.

Director of communications Lee Cain replied that he thought the event in the No10 garden was ‘somewhat of a comms risk’.

Another adviser warned that as TV cameramen happened to be leaving at around the same time attendees should avoid ‘walking around waving bottles of wine etc’.

About 30 to 40 people gathered in the garden. Mr Johnson was there for just half an hour to thank staff before returning to his office. Later in a message to a special adviser, Mr Reynolds boasted about how journalists had not found out. ‘We seem to have got away with [it]’ he wrote.

June 18, 2020: Vomiting aide and a fight

Officials gathered in the Cabinet Room in No10 to say goodbye to Hannah Young, Mr Johnson’s chief civil service adviser on home affairs, who was leaving the role. They later moved to an area outside then-Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill’s private office, where pizza and prosecco were provided.

Helen MacNamara, who was deputy cabinet secretary, brought a karaoke machine. Some drank excessively, including one person who was sick. There was a ‘minor altercation’ between two others. The last person left at 3.13am.

Nov 13, 2020: Impromptu leaving do

Media advisers gathered in the No 10 press office to mark the departure of Mr Cain, who it had been announced was leaving along with Mr Cummings. Attendees told Sue Gray the event was not preplanned. The Prime Minister made a leaving speech for Mr Cain and was among those to drink wine.

Nov 13, 2020: No 10 flat gathering

After 6pm, a meeting was held in the No10 flat over Mr Cummings and Mr Cain’s departures. Attendees included five special advisers with food and alcohol available. Mr Johnson joined at about 8pm.

Nov 27, 2020: Goodbye to ‘the gazelle’

Around 15 to 20 people gathered in the No10 press office to mark the final day of aide Cleo Watson, who was nicknamed ‘the gazelle’. It lasted less than hour with Mr Johnson there for around 25 minutes.

Dec 15, 2020: Leave by the back door!

An online quiz was organised for No10 staff instead of a Christmas party. Staff were told to dial in from home unless they were already in the office. Teams present in Whitehall were advised to ‘arrange themselves behind Perspex screens’. The PM attended for 12 minutes to read out one quiz round. On No 10’s internal messaging service, an official referred to ‘drunkenness’ and told colleagues to leave by the back door to avoid being photographed.

Dec 17, 2020: Simon Case’s office beer

Five civil servants in the Cabinet Secretary’s private office held a virtual quiz with colleagues dialling in

from home. Mr Case stopped by for about 15 minutes and had a beer.

Dec 18, 2020: Red wine on the walls

Some 20 to 45 staff attended the event in the No10 press office, which included a Secret Santa, awards ceremony and quiz. Some had chipped in £5 each to buy a fridge to chill wine for the office’s regular WTF (Wine Time Friday). At around 7.45pm, a panic button was accidentally triggered and officers on duty at the front door came to check they were OK.

The next morning a cleaner noted red wine on the wall. Miss Gray said she’d been told of ‘multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff’.

April 16, 2021: Partying before Philip’s funeral

Two leaving dos took place in No 10 for director of communications James Slack and another Downing Street official. It was the night before Prince Philip’s funeral.

At the event for the official, which took place in the basement, music was played from a laptop.

Both gatherings eventually ended up in the garden where a swing and slide used by the Prime Minister’s young son Wilfred were damaged. Some carried on drinking inside the building until the early hours. The last person to leave went at 4.20am.