[1andrew1]

Boris Johnson is expected to throw his cabinet secretary under the bus over the Downing Street parties in 2020 and 2021 to save his job, sources say.

After reports of a ‘secret meeting’ with Sue Gray about the Partygate saga several weeks ago, there are concerns the prime minister is looking for a scapegoat.

Whitehall officials believe the man set to take the blame is the head of the civil service Simon Case, who has not received a fine from the Metropolitan Police.

According to a senior figure, Ms Gray’s report could be even more damaging for the Tory leader than the fine he was given in April for attending his own birthday party.

They stressed ‘it will make clear’ the PM was involved in other events, which may have breached Covid-19, but for which the police did not fine him.

‘From my expectation of what I know it will be the real deal. There will be detail. There will be evidence,’ the source told the Guardian.

‘She [Ms Gray] is going to say this is under your watch, this is your house, all that kind of stuff.’

As the UK’s most senior civil servant, Mr Case is expected to be heavily criticised in Ms Gray’s report for allowing a rife drinking culture to develop and for rule-breaking parties to go on for two years.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/22/boris...gate-16687932/

Interesting observation from former FT editor Lionel Barber. He goes a bit OB in his last sentence.

If as per Observer report, Simon Case is to be the fall guy, Johnson would be on his third Cabinet Secretary in three years - as bad as Trump in the White House as well as a terrible signal to the UK civil service. BUT Let’s wait and see for Sue Gray report!

https://twitter.com/search?q=%22Simo...ertical=trends