The much anticipated Sue Gray report into the lockdown parties at Downing Street has found “failures of leadership and judgment” in Number 10.

The senior civil servant published her report today but said because of the Police investigation and requests by the Met she was unable to “provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather”.

However, she was able to give a list of findings.

They include: “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.”

Stating “failures of leadership” she found: “Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”

Other findings were: “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.”

And that “some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so”.

She concluded: “A number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.

She added: “There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government. This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded.”

Gray said it was not for her to make a judgment on whether the criminal law has been broken.

That, she said, is “properly a matter for law enforcement”.

Boris Johnson is due to respond to the report shortly,  in the House of Commons, this afternoon.