Boris faces calls to 'end the circus' on Partygate with Sue Gray's 'watered down' report due as early as TOMORROW... while Liz Truss insists he WILL lead the Tories into the next election and allies claim he has steadied the ship

• Boris Johnson has been facing risk of Tory revolt after Partygate fuelled unrest
• Opinium poll the latest to suggest Conservative support might be stabilising
• The PM still has to weather Sue Gray's Partygate report and probe by the police
• The senior civil servant's conclusions could be released as early as tomorrow 

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE-30 January 2022  

Boris Johnson is facing demands to 'end the circus' on Partygate today as he braces for Sue Gray's report - with allies hoping he has steadied the ship.

The PM is gearing up for another brutal week with the senior civil servant expected to deliver her findings on lockdown breaches in Downing Street as early as tomorrow.

Although Ms Gray is believed to be watering down her report at the request of Scotland Yard, any criticism could reignite the simmering revolt in the Tory ranks.

The allegations before the inquiry include that Carrie Johnson's friends held an Abba 'victory party' in the No11 flat after Dominic Cummings quit.    

In interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insisted Mr Johnson will lead the party into the next election. Asked if she was tempted to challenge for the top job, Ms Truss said: 'There is no contest. There is no discussion.'  

The mood among MPs has cooled significantly over the past week, after the extraordinary 'Pork Pie plot' fizzled out.  

In another boost for the premier, there were more fledgling signs of a Tory poll recovery. 

The ongoing rows have taken a huge toll on the Conservatives' popularity and that of Mr Johnson personally. But research for Opinium is the latest to suggest the party might be clawing back some ground.

Labour's 10-point lead from a fortnight ago has been trimmed back to five points, with the PM's ratings coming off rock bottom.

Mr Johnson is also believed to be planning a major clearout of No10 staff as part of 'Operation Save Big Dog' after the Gray report surfaces.

However, he has risked a Tory backlash on another front today by vowing that the £12billion national insurance hike will go ahead in April.  

Boris Johnson (pictured arriving back in Downing Street today) is gearing up for another brutal week in the Partygate saga

Lisa Nandy slams PM for not 'coming clean' over party claims

 Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (left) insisted Mr Johnson will lead the party into the next election. Sue Gray (right) could deliver her Partygate report as early as tomorrow

Research for Opinium is the latest to suggest the Tories might be clawing back some ground

Liz Truss insists she will not be running for Prime Minister

Boris defies Tories over national insurance hike despite threats of Partygate mutiny 

Boris Johnson today risked fuelling the Tory mutiny over Partygate and heaped cost-of-living pain on millions of Britons by vowing the £12billion national insurance hike will go ahead.

In a pointed show of unity after weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling, the PM and Rishi Sunak killed off hopes that the eye-watering increase would be delayed or axed altogether.

They insisted in a joint article that the 1.25 percentage point bump to fund the NHS and social care reforms is the 'right plan' and it will go ahead in April.

But in a nod to the scale of anger among Conservative MPs, Mr Johnson and the Chancellor felt the need to stress they are 'tax-cutting Thatcherites' by instinct.

The decision to rule out a U-turn suggests that Mr Johnson is feeling more confident in his position as polls show glimmers of a Tory recovery. 

There had been claims he was 'wobbling' and a rethink could form part of so-called 'Operation Save Big Dog' - the desperate effort to prevent a coup bid by MPs over Downing Street lockdown breaches and other rows. 

Lisa Nandy has called on the Prime Minister to 'come clean' over claims of lockdown-busting parties held in Downing Street.

She told the BBC's Sunday Morning show: 'The reason that we've got to have the Sue Gray report is because the Prime Minister won't come clean on what has been going on in Downing Street and his involvement in it.

'We could sort all of this out without him having to hide behind a civil servant or the Met Police, he could just come clean, but since he won't come clean we believe that the most important thing is to get that report out in full.

'There are a lot of bereaved families, there are a lot people who made huge sacrifices who deserve to hear the truth from the Prime Minister and if he won't put an end to this circus and this stasis in Government, when people are dealing with huge issues around the country, cost-of-living crisis, levelling-up plans stalled, if he won't do it, then that report has to come out in full, so that people can judge for themselves.'

Among the latest damaging revelations, it has been alleged that a tipsy Downing Street staffer boasted about breaching lockdown to police guarding No10.

The aide allegedly told guards 'we're the only ones allowed to party' as a group left the street in the early hours of the morning, according to The Sun. 

The Opinium poll put Labour on 39 per cent support - down two on a fortnight ago - while the Conservatives were up three on 34 per cent. 

The Liberal Democrats were unchanged on 9 per cent.

Mr Johnson's approval rating crept up from a net minus 42 two weeks ago to a still-dire minus 37.

In contrast Keir Starmer's rating was zero overall, having deteriorated four points.

Adam Drummond of Opinium said the findings feel like a 'let-down for Labour' despite their advantage.

'Boris Johnson's approval rating is still dire and, interestingly, Labour now lead on most issues including traditionally strong Tory areas such as crime and immigration. The Conservatives are also only barely ahead on 'the economy',' he said.

'But many of these shifts in issues are as much down to people moving from 'Conservative' to 'neither' as they are people moving to Labour and that, alongside the change in vote shares, shows just how volatile things are at the moment.'

Rumours are swirling that Mr Johnson will dramatically overhaul his Downing Street machine in response to anger among Tory MPs.  

There is speculation chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, often criticised by backbenchers, could be moved to a civil service role. 

Persistent whispers are circulating that David Canzini, a close ally of election guru Sir Lynton Crosby, could be brought in to beef up the No10 operation. 

And highly-rated mandarin Antonia Romeo has been tipped for a promotion if Cabinet Secretary Simon Case is forced to move on.

Meanwhile, the Mail on Sunday has learned that as part of her inquiry into socialising in Mr Johnson's No 10 flat, Ms Gray has been told about a 'victory party' held by friends of Carrie.

The bash allegedly happened on the night of November 13, 2020, after Dominic Cummings had left with his belongings in a box.

He had allegedly lost a power struggle with the then Ms Symonds and other advisers.

'There was the sound of lots of banging and dancing and drinking, and a number of Abba tracks – including a triumphalist Winner Takes It All,' a source said.

 A spokesman for Mrs Johnson said: 'It is totally untrue to suggest Mrs Johnson held a party in the Downing Street flat on November 13, 2020.'

The Metropolitan Police could now investigate the party as part of its probe, and call on Mrs Johnson to provide written evidence. 

Last week the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announced officers have launched a criminal inquiry after assessing a dossier of evidence compiled by Ms Gray. 

The police inquiry will reportedly focus on eight out of 17 parties looked at by Ms Gray.

The force then clarified it was looking at potential Covid breaches that are dealt with by fixed-term penalty notices.

It is understood that the Prime Minister's wife has not been interviewed by Ms Gray's inquiry or approached by the police.

Mr Cummings resigned as Mr Johnson's de facto chief of staff after losing the alleged power struggle with Mrs Johnson. 

He has previously claimed there was a 'party' in the Downing Street flat on the night of his departure.

Civil servants in the building at the time were advised by officials to go to the Downing Street flat to apologise for not sufficiently supporting the Prime Minister's then-fiancée. 

'They were ordered to go up and kiss the ring,' one said.

It comes as a former senior policeman suggested Downing Street staff who have been interviewed by Ms Gray could retract their testimony.  

Former chief superintendent Dai Davies, who was in charge of Royal Protection, told the Daily Mail: 'Now it's a legal quagmire. 

'Anyone who has spoken to her inquiry could retract their evidence, arguing they did not know it could be used against them in a criminal inquiry.' 

Sources said this was possible but any change of evidence would likely be sent directly to the police, rather than Ms Gray amending her report. 

A source close to Ms Gray's inquiry said the evidence she presented to police should be seen as a 'starting point'.

The Met Police said suspects will be asked to give written evidence as part of its inquiry, which appeared to undermine reports the Prime Minister could be interviewed under caution.

Ms Gray's long-awaited report is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister within days.

 

Sue Gray is said to have been given evidence about a party held by Carrie's (pictured right) friends in the No11 flat after Dominic Cummings (left) quit

The Met is under fire for its 'farcical' handling of Partygate. After first refusing to investigate, last week it announced a criminal inquiry days before the Sue Gray report was due to be published – and asking her to make 'minimal references' to parties at the centre of the row.

Former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption said the police had 'no legal right to demand that Sue Gray delay publication of her report and it is constitutionally undesirable that they have done so'.

Meanwhile, speculation mounted over an expected leadership contest to replace Mr Johnson, should he be deposed.

Yesterday Tom Tugendhat became the first Conservative MP to declare his intention to run in a leadership contest.

Asked in a Times Radio interview which will air today whether he would like to be Prime Minister, the Tonbridge & Malling MP said: 'It would be a huge privilege.'

He added: 'It's up to all of us to put ourselves forward. And it's up to the electorate, in the first case parliamentary colleagues, and in the second case the party, to choose.'

The former soldier added: 'There isn't a vacancy at the moment', and insisted he had not been canvassing support.

Jeremy Hunt, the former Foreign Secretary who came second to Mr Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest, recently said his ambition to be leader had not 'completely vanished'.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are expected to be the frontrunners in a contest, with other potential contenders including Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Home Secretary Priti Patel, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

A No 10 spokeswoman said last night she could not comment on the Gray inquiry.