UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced to the country’s parliament on Monday that he will make changes to the government because “apologizing is not enough” after learning about parliamentary ethics expert Sue’s partial report. Gray on Downing Street parties during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johnson said it is necessary to “learn” from the mistakes made by holding parties at his official residence and office, and promised he would correct the structure and accountability problems that made the “leadership failures” criticized in the report possible.
The document points out “leadership and judgment failures” at Downing Street and that some of the events “should not have been allowed”.
“First I want to apologize for the things we didn’t do well, and also for the way this matter was handled (…). But it is not enough to apologize. It is a time for us to look in the mirror, and we must learn,” said the prime minister in the House of Commons.
After stating that he “accepts the conclusions of Gray’s report”, Johnson said he would not wait for the police investigation to end and would make changes to the “fragmented and complicated structures” of Downing Street and the Cabinet Office.
Among these reforms, he said he would create the role of “permanent secretary” to oversee the functioning of the prime minister’s offices, although he did not elaborate.
He also said he would review the codes of conduct that govern the government and its advisers, as well as improve the “connection” between the Executive and the Legislature.
Report was edited at the request of the police, says expert
In the report, in which Gray analyzed 16 meetings, held on 12 dates between May 2020 and April 2021, the expert pointed out that some meetings “represent a serious failure to observe not only the high standards expected of those who work at the heart of government, but also the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”, he commented, referring to celebrations during periods when the country faced lockdowns, according to information from The Guardian newspaper.
Gray also mentioned “excessive alcohol consumption” at these meetings, which “is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.” “Steps must be taken to ensure that all government departments have a clear and robust policy covering alcohol consumption in the workplace,” he recommended.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating 12 of the 16 events Gray cited. The expert lamented the fact that police last week asked her not to include in her report details of the encounters she was investigating.
“Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about these events and it is not possible, at the moment, to provide a meaningful report presenting and analyzing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather,” he pointed out.
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