Internal report blames Boris Johnson and senior leadership for lockdown parties

Boris Johnson
(Image credit: Leon Neal - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

A highly anticipated report from civil servant Sue Gray faults senior U.K. government leadership for lockdown parties, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he takes "full responsibility."

Following an investigation into parties held at 10 Downing Street in violation of COVID-19 rules in place at the time, Gray released her full report Wednesday. It finds a "large number of individuals" who attended these gatherings breached COVID-19 regulations, and it blames "failures of leadership and judgment" in Johnson's government.

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The gatherings included "excessive alcohol consumption," so much so that one individual became sick, and there were "multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff," the report said. The report also includes multiple photos of Johnson at a gathering, one of which shows him holding up a drink.

Johnson, who was previously fined over the gatherings, said he takes "full responsibility for everything that took place" but argued it's time to "move on and focus on the priorities of the British people." He has continued to resist calls to resign.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.