Report: Downing Street parties in lockdown were serious failures

An investigation says lockdown-breaching parties by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff represent a serious failure to observe the standards expected of government.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray concluded that there were failures of leadership and judgment in the government and some of the events should not have been allowed to take place.

The findings are part of what Gray's office calls an update on her investigation, rather than a full report. Major parts of her findings have been withheld at the request of the police, who have launched a criminal investigation into the most serious alleged breaches of coronavirus rules.

The cuts have led opponents to accuse Johnson of a whitewash.

Johnson is due to make a statement on the findings in the House of Commons later Monday.