Wednesday evening UK news briefing: Sue Gray report reveals partygate 'we got away with it' boasts
Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines
Fight for Donbas | Vladimir Putin has signed a decree simplifying the process for residents of Ukraine's occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to acquire Russian citizenship and passports. The decree marks a further step towards the "Russification" of the two southern regions. Russia has poured "an insane number of fighters and equipment" into Luhansk to flatten the last of the Ukrainian resistance in northern Donbas, the region's governor has warned, with Kyiv's forces outnumbered by seven to one in some areas. Our live blog has more.
NHS | Ambulances 'will stop responding to 999 calls on Aug 17'
Kate Moss in court | 'Johnny Depp never pushed me down the stairs'
Katie Price | Faces up to five years for breach of restraining order
Ricky Gervais | Accused of 'dangerous anti-trans rants' in show
Eurovision | BBC claims UK robbed Spain of second place
The big story: Sue Gray reports on lockdown parties
Is this last orders or just the next round for partygate?
A Downing Street chief boasted they had "got away with" partygate rulebreaking, Sue Gray's report has revealed, as she blamed senior leaders for failing to follow Covid rules.
A months-long inquiry by the civil servant concluded that gatherings "and the way in which they developed was not in line with Covid guidance at the time".
Ms Gray, the former head of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office, investigated 16 events in Whitehall during the pandemic, including a karaoke party where one staff member was so drunk they were sick and two others had a fight.
Her report revealed messages from the Prime Minister's then principal private secretary about a garden party during the first lockdown.
The civil service enforcer had to wait until after a Metropolitan Police investigation, which resulted in the Prime Minister and Rishi Sunak being fined, before releasing her full findings.
Here is a summary of the key points from the 37-page report and you can read it in full here.
Hundreds of photographs were obtained by Sue Gray in the course of her investigation yet her final document contains just nine from a total of two events, which you can view here.
Robert Mendick analyses what is in the pictures - and the others that are conspicuous by their absence.
A party held in the Downing Street flat, at which it was reported Carrie Johnson and friends played loud Abba music, was not fully investigated by Ms Gray because she concluded it would not be "appropriate or proportionate" to do so.
Camilla Tominey suggests Ms Gray's report underwhelms and Mr Johnson lives to fight another day.
Juliet Samuel analyses how the Met took the pressure off Mr Johnson at every turn.
'Entitled narcissists'
Hours after the report was delivered to Downing Street, the Prime Minister told MPs in the Commons he takes "full responsibility" for the partygate scandal.
He said he had been "humbled and I have learned a lesson". Read his statement in full here.
In response, Sir Keir Starmer said the Sue Gray report "lays bare the rot that under this Prime Minister has spread in Number 10" while former Labour minister Chris Bryant accused Mr Johnson of turning Downing Street into a "cesspit", full of "arrogant, entitled narcissists".
Nick Timothy warns that Tory MPs will go down with the Prime Minister if they wait too long to topple him.
At a press conference, Mr Johnson was asked several times about numerous examples of cleaning and security staff being treated with a lack of respect, to whom he said he had apologised.
Iain Dale says the mistreatment of Downing Street cleaners is utterly shameful.
Six scenarios
Mr Johnson’s aides and Tory MPs will now be wargaming the possible outcomes from Ms Gray's report.
Even if Mr Johnson fights on, there are several moments of danger coming up over the coming days, weeks and months that could yet take his future out of his own hands.
Gordon Rayner examines the six possible scenarios that could play out before an election in 2024.
Janet Daley analyses why, despite the publication of the partygate report, this is nowhere near over for Mr Johnson.
Comment and analysis
Annabel Denham | Panic over 'privatising' NHS threatens its demise
Patrick O'Flynn | Unions poised to triumph over weak Government
Madeline Grant | Post-growth Britain is spiralling towards class war
Allison Pearson | Stay home, by all means, but do the work
Ella Whelan | Netflix is not anti-trans – it's pro-freedom of speech
Around the world: Texas shooting victims named
Devastated families gathered at a civic centre to mourn the children "horrifically and incomprehensibly" killed in a Texas primary school shooting on Tuesday evening. Authorities confirmed the death toll of the shooting rose to at least 19 children and two adults after the 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, opened fired inside. By nightfall, the names of the victims killed in the attack in the town of Uvalde began to emerge. Read how one pupil was killed as she called 911 while a teacher died trying to protect her students. Watch as a US senator made an emotional, impassioned plea to fellow lawmakers to tackle America's gun problem.
Wednesday big-read
The six new types of office worker – which one do you sit next to?
From AWOL Abi to Hazmat Harry, our colleagues have changed since the pandemic – and Guy Kelly discovers that is not necessarily for the better
Sport briefing: Raducanu out of the French Open
For the second slam running, Emma Raducanu suffered a three-set exit in the second round. It was a brutal lesson for a woman who fought like crazy again, but simply did not have the equipment to deal with Aliaksandra Sasnovich – her devastating Belarusian opponent. Read the match report from the French Open. Andy Murray has countered player suggestions Wimbledon has been devalued by the removal of ranking points and said the tournament could "never feel like an exhibition". In football, Matt Law has the inside take on what Todd Boehly’s new-era at Chelsea will look like as manager Tom Tuchel scraps holiday plans.
Editor's choice
'It couple' | How Johnny Depp and Kate Moss became the 1990s' most notorious love affair
Class division | Why more batsmen go to private schools than bowlers
Put to the test | Is a 'budget' electric car practical if you drive long distances?
Business briefing: China's admission on economy
China has admitted its economy is faring worse now than during the depths of the pandemic as Beijing's zero-Covid policy takes its toll. Li Keqiang, China's Premier, warned that "economic indicators in China have fallen significantly, and difficulties in some aspects and to a certain extent are greater than when the epidemic hit us severely in 2020". Read on for the country's latest statistics. Elsewhere, Alexander Lebedev has cut ties with the Independent after the former KGB agent was sanctioned in Canada. Meanwhile, Britain is drawing up plans for a two-yearly investment summit that would rival Davos amid concerns from Downing Street that the Switzerland gathering has become a party town.
Tonight starts now
Legally Blonde, review | As 21st-century entertainment franchises go, Legally Blonde has been almost stupidly successful, given its simple scenario: first a novel, then a hit film that "made" Reese Witherspoon, then a sequel film, then a Broadway musical, with tie-in reality TV show. Now, ahead of yet another film next year, and launching the Open Air theatre's summer season, the stage show has been remounted again. The idea is to bring the piece technologically and culturally up to date for the selfie-taking age. Courtney Bowman, who describes herself as "Afro-European", takes the lead, in blonde wigs and we root for her all the way.
Three things for you
Watch | Cathy Come Home, BBC Four, 10pm, plus tonight's other TV
Music | Harry Styles' next step towards all-time-great superstardom
PlusWord | Try the Telegraph's exciting new game for free
And finally... for this evening's downtime
Nature’s torture-porn | Seemingly evil, wasps broke Darwin's faith in a benevolent god. Now comes the pro-wasp propaganda. Read how a new book reveals the grotesque truth about wasps.
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