LONDON – British MPs from across the political divide yesterday demanded the full publication of the Gray Report into reports of illegal parties at Downing Street amid fears of critical information being withheld.
Senior Tory lawmakers have also accused the Metropolitan Police, which launched a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of power abuse after it called for information to be redacted from the report pending results of its investigation, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).
“I don’t think it’s any of their business. This is a Cabinet Office inquiry and the findings have been concluded, and they’ve been shared – I don’t know why – with the Metropolitan police,” Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope said yesterday in an interview with the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Now the Metropolitan Police seem to be interfering both in the content of the report and trying to prevent it being published in an unredacted form. Under the rules of law which apply in our country, this is not sub judice…that’s why I think this is an abuse of power by the Metropolitan police,” Chope added.
Adam Holloway, another fellow Tory MP, also demanded a full and unbiased publication of the inquiry.
Holloway said the delay in publishing the findings would lead to more unfounded speculation by the media which would paint the prime minister in a bad light.
Holloway, however, defended Johnson, drawing on his party’s 80-seat majority in Parliament and believing the prime minister’s assertion that he had no idea the events he attended were parties.
“The fact is we’re not getting a full and rounded view from what we’re getting from the media, and that’s why I – and probably Boris too – would like to see the whole of Sue Gray’s report, and as soon as possible, so we can end this madness,” Holloway said on the same programme.
The outrage came after the UK police force demanded information that made references to cases they were examining be removed from the report while the investigation continues.
Alongside Chope, MPs from the main opposition Labour Party, as well as the Liberal Democrat Party and the Scottish National Party have called for a full and transparent publication of the report without any redactions. – Bernama, January 30, 2022
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