To help explain why this is all such a big deal in the UK, and why so many people are angry, let's dial it back to May 2020. More than 36,000 people had already died of COVID. Intensive care units were full and lockdown rules were strict. Socialising indoors with anyone from outside your household was banned, so families and friends were kept apart. In mid-May, the government announced a slight relaxation in the rules, and ministers went on TV to push the message. But it turns out that on the same day as that TV appearance, a senior official in Downing Street invited more than 100 staff to socially distanced drinks in the garden and told them to "bring your own booze". And Boris Johnson has acknowledged that he was there, but that he thought it was for work. But that's just one example. The report that's just come out lists 16 gatherings. There were goodbye drinks for staff, a birthday party for the prime minister and two gatherings in Downing Street the night before the funeral for Prince Philip—where the Queen sat alone as she buried her husband of 73 years. Now this report was done by a Downing Street bureaucrat—Sue Gray. And her investigation became a big part of the story because once Boris Johnson stopped denying outright that any rules had been broken, waiting for Sue Gray's report kind of became his main defence. The thing is, we still don't actually have Sue Gray's full report. So far it's just an "update", and that's because the police decided to launch their own investigation, and they asked Sue Gray to hold back on any juicy details so it wouldn't compromise their work. We know now that police are looking into 12 of the gatherings, and the prime minister attended at least two of those. According to media reports, he was at others, too. And another thing Sue Gray gave the police: a pile of evidence, including 300 photographs. It's a lifeline the prime minister appears to be hanging onto, and that his opponents are criticising. So, what now? Well, the police investigation could drag on for months. But in the end the worst anyone will get for breaking COVID rules is a fine, so no one's facing jail time. But Boris Johnson's job is on the line because his own Conservative MPs could decide to kick him out. That would involve what's called a vote of no confidence. To hold one, 15% of Conservative MPs—so 54 out of 359—have to write a letter to the head of a special committee. So far only a few have said publicly that they've done that. But the process happens in secret, so we're never quite sure of the numbers. If a vote does happen, Johnson would need a simple majority to keep his job. But again, that's if it even happens. So, he's promised to make some changes and follow Sue Gray's recommendations, including changing the management structure in No.10. And that's really a big part of what this comes down to for Boris Johnson—his style of leadership. But Conservative MPs are now weighing up whether "Partygate" and all the public outrage has damaged the Boris brand so much that he's now become a liability. And that's something that Boris Johnson and his allies are really trying to push, basically saying there are bigger things to worry about— like the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. And he's been visiting Kyiv for talks about that. And then there's all the other stuff going on back home. So the pressure is on for Prime Minister Johnson—from the police, the public, the media, the opposition from his own Conservative Party. And there's pressure to release the full version of Sue Gray's report. Question is, can his political career survive? Hi, if you haven't already seen our recent explainer on what's happening with Russia and Ukraine. We've linked it here for you in the meantime. Make sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel so that you don't miss our upcoming Start Here episodes and I'll see you next week
