How much longer to wait for Gray?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2022

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The view on the Tory benches at the moment seems to be consistently ‘wait for Gray’ before they decide whether or not they will send a letter of no confidence. The 54 letters required is now more likely since the announcement of the police probe into Downing Street parties, but it is still by no means a certainty.

Boris Johnson gathered a surprising amount of support at PMQs today. Helped in part. by opposition MPs calling on him to resign:

'Richard Burgon, a former member of Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet making a grand statement of how the PM should resign is naturally going to bring the Tory MPs together on Boris Johnson’s side' - Katy Balls.

Also on the podcast, Pen Farthing and his Afghan animal rescue operation has just resurfaced. Emails have been leaked suggesting that Boris Johnson did in fact authorise a rescue operation having publically denied allegations.

All to be discussed as James Forsyth speaks to Katy Balls from a breezy rooftop in the House of Commons.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is sponsored by Canacord Genuity Wealth Management, award-winning wealth managers who go above and beyond to support and guide you.
0:09.2	Visit can-dowealth.com to start building your wealth with confidence.
0:16.6	Hello, I'm James Seif, and welcome to Coffee House Shots with me and Katie Balls.
0:21.7	So Katie, Westminster is waiting.
0:24.3	Waiting for Grey.
0:25.8	Yesterday, we thought we might have months to wait for Grey because the Metropolitan Police were going to investigate
0:31.1	and the assumption was the Grey Report couldn't be published until then.
0:35.1	Then it emerged that the Metropolitan Police didn't object to its publication.
0:38.9	There was lots of speculation that Boris Johnson would receive the report last night.
0:42.9	He hasn't.
0:43.4	We're recording this podcast just after PMQ's on Wednesday, and number 10 still haven't got it.
0:48.5	But the expectation is that it is coming and coming soon.
0:52.7	What are you hearing, Katie?
0:57.2	I think no one can say of any certainty when this report is going out. Ultimately, we saw a situation where after the police said
1:01.8	they were going to investigate, there was a sense by those around Sea Gray initially, and I think
1:06.4	cabinet officer, this meant the report would not come out until that completed. Then there seems
1:10.5	to be a change of heart. The Met police have said they don't have such an issue of it. Given that C. Gray
1:15.2	has concluded her report, it then seemed so it could quickly go to number 10. But I think what is
1:20.4	holding up are a few things. So obviously going over that to see if there is anything that is going
1:24.7	to prejudice or impact the Mets investigation, and ultimately
1:30.0	number 10 have not received it at the time of us speaking. When Boris Johnson was in Prime Minister's
1:34.1	questions, he hadn't received it. So we're in a world where I think lots of people think you
	...

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