Sue Gray

“ The context I set out in my update remains key to this report and findings and for completeness I have repeated that summary here. The outbreak and spread of SARs Covid-19 represented a global public health crisis without parallel in living memory. In the United Kingdom it had a seismic impact on every aspect of life in the country. In response, to help control the spread of the virus and to keep the most vulnerable safe, the UK Government put in place far reaching restrictions on citizens that had direct and material impact on their lives, livelihood and liberties. ”

“ In line with those rules the vast majority of staff in Government Departments worked from home. The Civil Service, along with the rest of the public sector, went to great lengths to reconfigure the provision and delivery of public services and support for businesses almost overnight. Many private sector businesses and other organisations, large and small, all over the UK, were also working hard to deal with the pandemic both in terms of managing their businesses, their livelihoods and those of their employees, as well as providing vital support to the national effort to respond to the virus. ”

“ Guidance encouraged those who could not work from home to go back to work. At work, social distancing guidance applied with workplaces required "to maintain 2m social distancing wherever possible, including while arriving at and departing from work, while in work, and when travelling between sites". Leaving or being outside one's home without a reasonable excuse continued to be prohibited.
Summary
On 20 May 2020 there was a gathering in the No 10 garden. The investigation was told that the event was for the purposes of boosting staff morale following a challenging period for staff. ”

“ The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time. Steps must be taken to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace. The use of the garden at No 10 Downing Street should be primarily for the Prime Minister and the private residents of No 10 and No 11 Downing Street. During the pandemic it was often used as an extension of the workplace as a more covid secure means of holding group meetings in a ventilated space. ”

“ Any official access to the space, including for meetings, should be by invitation only and in a controlled environment. Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so. No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it. There should be easier ways for staff to raise such concerns informally, outside of the line management chain. The number of staff working in No 10 Downing Street has steadily increased in recent years. ”

“ A No 10 official sent a message to one of the WhatsApp groups at 19.49 stating ’prize giving now guys, return’. The investigation was informed that this was an extension of the type of awards ceremony which might take place on ’Wine Time Friday’. Those present gathered together at the meeting table in the small area outside the main Press Office. Awards certificates were handed out to staff by Jack Doyle, a senior special adviser. ”

“ There was some internal discussion about the event between Martin Reynolds, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Lee Cain, the No 10 Director of Communications. On 12 June there was an exchange of WhatsApp messages between the two that read:
[Martin Reynolds] [18:31] "No 10 official (1) ’s leaving drinks next week - can we discuss handling!"
[Lee Cain] [18:32] "Yes - not sure how we do it but want to do something"
[Martin Reynolds] [19:01] "Is it safer to do a larger event indoors but with some people carrying on outside afterwards?" ”

“ You are free to: copy, publish, distribute and transmit the Information; adapt the Information; exploit the Information commercially and non-commercially for example, by combining it with other Information, or by including it in your own product or application. ”

“ Shortly before 21.30, there were over 20 people present in the garden, with a number of bottles of alcohol.
A number of individuals gathered near a child's swing/slide in the garden, damaging it by leaning on and playing with it. This was noticed the next morning and reported to No 10 staff.
At this time, the custodian staff at No 10 continued to lock down the building. They noted that groups of individuals had gone into the garden. The group began to break up and return into the main building at around 21.30. ”