York’s Conservative MP Julian Sturdy has again expressed his frustration at his party’s leadership following the Sue Gray update.
As the world and YorkMix reported yesterday, her interim report into lockdown-breaking parties was restricted by the fact that the Met Police are investigating at least 12 gatherings in and around Downing Street.
But Ms Gray did say that “some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify”.
Today Mr Sturdy, the Conservative MP for York Outer, said he was disappointed by the “stripped-back” update published yesterday.
“While it is not clear how much of Sue Gray’s report is being withheld for the duration of the Metropolitan Police investigation, we can say for certain that an overhaul of how Downing Street and the Prime Minister’s private office operates is needed,” he said.
“To have the privilege of working as an elected representative or as a civil servant comes with the responsibility of observing the highest standards, yet the limited findings published yesterday confirm repeated failures in judgement and leadership.
“The public deserve to be able to read Sue Gray’s report in full so any proposals for reform can be assessed appropriately.
“I am therefore deeply concerned by the current lack of commitment to allow the full report to be published once the Metropolitan Police investigation has concluded.
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“There is no justification for the Government to airbrush Sue Gray’s findings, no matter how damning they may be.”
Conservative colleague Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, was also critical of Mr Johnson. In the Commons yesterday, the PM accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile over child abuse allegations when he was director of public prosecutions.
Mr Smith tweeted: “The smear made against Keir Starmer relating to Jimmy Savile yesterday is wrong & cannot be defended. It should be withdrawn.
“False and baseless personal slurs are dangerous, corrode trust & can’t just be accepted as part of the cut & thrust of parliamentary debate.”
