Dominic Raab says PM will decide how much of Sue Gray report is published

He told the BBC’s Sunday Morning Show "the process for it will be for the Prime Minister to decide", despite the PM being one of those under investigation and the report potentially deciding whether he stays in office.

Mr Raab said there would be full transparency around the “substance” of Ms Gray findings, but not necessarily the whole report, fuelling concerns that a slanted summary may be published.

The Sunday Times reported Ms Gray had widened her inquiry to include allegations that parties were held in Mr Johnson’s Downing Street flat’s involving friends of his wife Carrie.

Asked if Ms Gray’s report would be published in full, Mr Raab said: “The process for it will be for the Prime Minister to decide. I think the substance of the findings, there will be full transparency, and indeed he has said he will come back to the House of Commons and make a statement so there will be full scrutiny.”

Asked again about how much of the report would be public, he added: “I’m not quite sure the shape and the form it will come, but the Prime Minister has been clear there will be full transparency around this, so that people can see and we would welcome that transparency.” 

He also hinted the Gray report could take slightly longer than expected.

“If it takes a day or two longer - absolutely right. Sue Gray should determine that,” he said.

The report had been expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Despite reports Number 10 is preparing for a confidence vote in the coming days, Mr Raab insisted there was a “rallying of support behind the Prime Minister” from Tory MPs.

He said: “I think the reason is the booster campaign has been so successful, we are coming out of the lockdown measures, we are opening up the economy. These are all because of the calls the Prime Minister has made.”

Asked about the Sunday Times report, Mr Raab deferred to the Gray investigation.

But Mr Raab, who is also the Justice Secretary, reaffirmed that Boris Johnson would have to resign if he was found to have misled Parliament.

“The code of conduct for ministers is very clear that if you mislead Parliament it is a resigning matter,” he Minister said.

Questioned later on Times Radio, Mr Raab said Ms Gray was “dutiful in speaking truth to power” when questioned about her independence, given she reports to the PM.

He said: “If you know Sue Gray – and I have known her for several years now – she has worked under successive prime ministers, I don’t think you could have anyone who is more confident and dutiful in speaking truth to power.”

The Sunday Times reported that two aides, Henry Newman and Josh Grimstone – both friends of Mr Johnson’s wife – visited the couple’s flat over No 11 Downing Street on numerous occasions during lockdown.

Initially Ms Gray was said to have accepted the visits were for work purposes, however investigators were reported to have questioned why they were spending so much time in Downing Street when they were working for the Cabinet Office.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the Gray report must be published “in its entirety with all accompanying evidence”.

“Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to cover-up or obscure any of the truth when he has insisted on a hugely protracted internal probe to tell him which parties he attended and what happened in his own home,” she said.

Green MP Caroline Lucas tweeted: “Did @DominicRaab really say it’s the *PM* who will decide how much of the Sue Gray report will be published?! 

“That would be utterly unacceptable. There can only be justice on this if *all* the evidence is put in the public domain - not just the bits the PM chooses.” 

Earlier, on Sky News, former Labour PM Gordon Brown said it was likely that Mr Johnsopn’s government would end in scandal.

He said: “My fear is that scandal is going to follow Boris Johnson as long as he is Prime Minister.

“We don’t just have the scandal – and all the details will probably come out later this week about partying – we have the conflicts of interest, we have the dubious appointments, we have foreign money and question marks over that, who is paying the bills for what?

“And I don’t think we are going to see this administration end in anything other than scandal.”

Mr Brown added that “attention has veered” away from other important issues like the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the rising cost of living in the UK, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine because of the Downing Street parties.”