> Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said: “This looks like another disgraceful attempt by Boris Johnson and the Conservatives to cover up for their lies and law-breaking.
> “The Privileges Committee must immediately look into the supposed interference into the publication of the Sue Gray report. If the government really did alter the report, the British public should be told the truth.”
As well as multiple sources claiming that senior civil servants lobbied Gray to remove names and amend passages on the eve of publication, the Sunday Times reports incriminating emails were removed from an earlier draft of the report and quotes a ministerial advisor: “After Sue made clear that she wanted to print WhatsApp messages and emails, the entire machine fought her.”
[According to the newspaper](https://archive.ph/91rQ3#selection-1119.0-1119.354):
> Another key passage that was altered concerned the “Abba night” party which it is claimed was held in the prime minister’s flat on November 13, 2020. An earlier draft of the report referred to music being played and stated at what time it came to an end. Two sources close to the process say Barclay tweaked the relevant section on the eve of publication.
These claims contradict Johnson’s statement to Parliament:
> What Sue Gray has published is entirely for Sue Gray. It is a wholly independent report.
> “Boris Johnson is behaving like a tinpot despot and is trampling all over the principles of public life.
> “Many decent Conservative MPs are deeply uncomfortable with Johnson’s behaviour and they now have the chance to stop his sinister attempts at watering down standards and integrity in our democracy.
> “Serious breaches of the ministerial code must result in resignation, whether they are deliberately misleading parliament, bullying staff, bribery or sexual assault.
> “This prime minister simply cannot be trusted to uphold standards in government while his conduct sinks further into the gutter and he gives the green light to corruption.
> “It’s time to stop the rot that this prime minister has created at the heart of government and restore standards in public life.”
Not sure why its a claim when he actually changed the rules. Surely its a fact that he is a tinpot despot?
Acting like? He is a tinpot despot. Why does corruption apply to other countries but not ours? Our government is corrupt, and we are the money laundering capital of the world.
Call it for what it is.
Tinpot despot has to be the most random insult I’ve ever heard 😂
nothing new there then.
I would be reticent to mock Americans for voting for Trump while this guy is still in office.
6 comments
In reference to today’s [Sunday Times piece](https://archive.ph/91rQ3),
> Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said: “This looks like another disgraceful attempt by Boris Johnson and the Conservatives to cover up for their lies and law-breaking.
> “The Privileges Committee must immediately look into the supposed interference into the publication of the Sue Gray report. If the government really did alter the report, the British public should be told the truth.”
As well as multiple sources claiming that senior civil servants lobbied Gray to remove names and amend passages on the eve of publication, the Sunday Times reports incriminating emails were removed from an earlier draft of the report and quotes a ministerial advisor: “After Sue made clear that she wanted to print WhatsApp messages and emails, the entire machine fought her.”
[According to the newspaper](https://archive.ph/91rQ3#selection-1119.0-1119.354):
> Another key passage that was altered concerned the “Abba night” party which it is claimed was held in the prime minister’s flat on November 13, 2020. An earlier draft of the report referred to music being played and stated at what time it came to an end. Two sources close to the process say Barclay tweaked the relevant section on the eve of publication.
These claims contradict Johnson’s statement to Parliament:
> What Sue Gray has published is entirely for Sue Gray. It is a wholly independent report.
— The Prime Minister, [Hansard, 25/5/2022](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-05-25/debates/E888D0F8-37F7-48A5-8598-4449887A0935/SueGrayReport#contribution-2090A42F-565C-4851-8C52-67A20FDC6E6B)
Sky’s “tinpot despot” quote was supplied by Angela Rayner, who addressed [recent changes](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-waters-down-ethics-27083430) to the Ministerial code:
> “Boris Johnson is behaving like a tinpot despot and is trampling all over the principles of public life.
> “Many decent Conservative MPs are deeply uncomfortable with Johnson’s behaviour and they now have the chance to stop his sinister attempts at watering down standards and integrity in our democracy.
> “Serious breaches of the ministerial code must result in resignation, whether they are deliberately misleading parliament, bullying staff, bribery or sexual assault.
> “This prime minister simply cannot be trusted to uphold standards in government while his conduct sinks further into the gutter and he gives the green light to corruption.
> “It’s time to stop the rot that this prime minister has created at the heart of government and restore standards in public life.”
Not sure why its a claim when he actually changed the rules. Surely its a fact that he is a tinpot despot?
Acting like? He is a tinpot despot. Why does corruption apply to other countries but not ours? Our government is corrupt, and we are the money laundering capital of the world.
Call it for what it is.
Tinpot despot has to be the most random insult I’ve ever heard 😂
nothing new there then.
I would be reticent to mock Americans for voting for Trump while this guy is still in office.