Johnson’s Downing Street report excoriating, will make things difficult for him

An independent report into lock-down gatherings held at Boris Johnson'sJohnson's office and residence in Downing Street is excoriating for the British prime minister and will make things incredibly difficult for him, the Times said.

Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, has been tasked with investigating the events and whether they broke the lockdown rules set by Johnson. The police have put their report on hold until they complete their own investigation.

Johnson received a police fine and could be issued with more. In January, an interim version of Gray said that serious failures of leadership led to alcohol-fuelled parties being held when social mixing was all but banned.

The Times quoted a senior official as saying that Sue's report was excoriating.

It will make things incredibly difficult for the prime minister. There is an immense amount of pressure on her - her report could be enough to end him. No official has ever been in a position like this before. The report said Johnson would be highly critical of both the office culture in Downing Street and for attending some of the events.

Johnson apologised for the gatherings but said he did not realise that he was breaching the restrictions as he thought he was attending work events. He has had calls from opposition parties and some of his own lawmakers to quit.

Others said they want to see the full report before they can decide whether to submit a letter of no confidence in him. To challenge Johnson's leadership, 54 Conservative lawmakers must write letters to trigger a confidence vote.

Ministers said the prime minister is focused on helping people through a cost-of-living crisis and that he does not need to resign.

The lawmakers in parliament agreed last week to hold a special inquiry into whether Johnson misled parliament when he told lawmakers that the rules had been followed at all times.