No.10 is expected to announce new measures to help with the cost of living crisis today – just a day after the Sue Gray report was published.
The top civil servant’s highly-anticipated probe into the Downing Street parties which took place throughout lockdown revealed some eyebrow-raising details about the culture in No.10.
There was “wine on the walls”, mistreatment of cleaners and records of Downing Street staff texting: “We seem to have got away with it”.
Despite these damning new details, prime minister Boris Johnson apologised before claiming that the report “vindicated” him.
Now the probe is in the public domain, more Tory MPs are clearly starting to lose faith in Johnson and calling for him to resign.
Meanwhile, just 24 hours after the Gray report came out, the government has suddenly announced that it will be doing more to ease the cost of living crisis – a crisis which started at the beginning of April.
Sky News’ Kay Burley subsequently asking about the “timing” of these new helpful measures on Thursday morning when interviewing Johnson’s ally, the Downing Street chief of staff Steve Barclay.
He simply replied that “we don’t control the timing” of the Sue Gray report. He instead suggested the cost-cutting measures were pinned to energy regulator Ofgem’s announcement from Monday that another increase to energy bills are ahead.
He also said the Sue Gray probe was linked to the Met Police investigation, which concluded last Friday.
As expected, not many people agreed with his explanation on Twitter.
Some people were also furious at the idea that the government is keen for people to move on now that the report was out.
Comic Rosie Holt tweeted: “It’s always been my understanding that one aspect of an apology is the perpetrators don’t get to decide that part.”
Meanwhile, ByLine TV commentator Mike Galsworthy shared a video claiming it was the “prime minister, not us, who should move on”, while the i’s commentator Ian Dunt claimed it was “demeaning” for a leader to produce such excuses for partygate.