Boris braces as damning Partygate report could be published TODAY

Boris Johnson is bracing for a shattering 48 hours that could define his premiership with the Partygate report set to be released as early as today.

The PM and his aides are bunkered down waiting for Sue Gray to deliver her findings about the swathe of allegedly lockdown-busting gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall.

The level of criticism - and whether it is directed at Mr Johnson personally - will be critical to his chances of survival, after Tories held back from mounting a coup to see the results.

Allies have been desperately mobilising to shore up the premier, with Jacob Rees-Mogg warning that ousting him would almost certainly trigger a snap general election. 

But even if he can stave off the immediate threat the police have already announced they are carrying out a criminal probe, which could see him become the first sitting PM interviewed under caution.  

There had been hopes Mr Johnson could publish the top civil servant's conclusions in time for PMQs, but that timeline appears to be slipping - although he could yet come to the Commons again this afternoon for what will inevitably be a marathon grilling from MPs. 

There is also set to be a huge row about how much of the report is released. The Cabinet Office initially suggested yesterday that Ms Gray would hold off publishing until the Met had completed their probe.

But that stance was abandoned after Scotland Yard made clear they had no objection to the findings being issued in full. 

In a round of interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss indicated that some of the report might be held back for 'security' reasons.

Asked if the report will be published in full, Ms Truss told Sky News: 'We have been absolutely clear that we will publish the findings of the report.

'We don't know the content of the report, so there could be, for example, security issues that mean parts of it are problematic to publish. But we will absolutely publish the findings of the report.'

Ms Truss said the government had to acknowledge 'public anger'. But she said: 'I think the PM should continue in office. I think he is doing a great job... I support him 100 per cent.' 

One Tory plotter last night claimed five more MPs are poised to call for the PM's resignation as soon as the report is published.

A no-confidence vote is automatically triggered when 54 MPs send letters to the chair of the powerful 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady - although he never discloses how many he has received before the threshold is reached.  

The PM faces the most dangerous 24 hours of his premiership as:

Mr Johnson faced claims that he kept news of the police probe from senior ministers when Cabinet met on Tuesday morning, leaving them to find out from the media when they turned on their phones as they left No10; Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors, the senior police officer leading the investigation into parties at Downing Street, is revealed to have been embroiled in a row over the policing of the Sarah Everard vigil; Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns defends Mr Johnson's presence at a surprise birthday bash in the Cabinet room on June 19, 2020, saying he had been 'ambushed with a cake';  Senior Labour figures celebrated the PM's discomfort, with an ally of leader Keir Starmer saying: 'This is very good for us';  Some ministers were unhappy after it emerged Mr Johnson did not tell his Cabinet in advance about the imminent announcement of a police investigation;  Britons who share the same birthday as Boris reveal how they were forced to spend their day alone as the PM enjoyed a 'party' in No10 in June 2020;  The PM's official spokesman signalled that Mr Johnson is willing to speak to police investigating the alleged breaches of coronavirus rules over the past two years.

Ms Gray is reported to have told Number 10 that she expects her findings to be released in full within 'hours' of them being handed to Downing Street.

The PM's office had not received them early this morning, but their delivery is thought to be imminent and could see the report released after PMQs this afternoon. 

Sky News last night claimed that Ms Gray had been handed photographs of Boris Johnson next to wine bottles at an alleged lockdown breaking party, and has identified eight parties that breached the rules. 

Many Tory MPs are awaiting the findings before deciding whether to submit letters of no confidence in Johnson that could topple him as Prime Minister and trigger a Tory leadership contest.

But potentially more serious for the PM is Scotland Yard's criminal investigation into the parties which was announced yesterday.

Police sources told The Times that it was 'inevitable' that the PM would have to speak to detectives, making him the second sitting Prime Minister to be interviewed after Tony Blair was quizzed over the cash-for-honours scandal 15 years ago.

However Blair was interviewed as a witness - and no sitting Prime Minister has ever been interviewed under caution which requires officers to read them their rights before the questions begin. Reports at the time indicated that Blair would resign if he was interviewed under caution.  

The final report, which could name senior political figures and civil servants, was likely to list Ms Gray's conclusions but would not include a 'significant amount of evidence' from interviews, such as photos or messages. 

Senior Tories last night called for a 'sense of perspective' over the 'partygate' row as police launched a formal probe.

They urged colleagues and critics of Mr Johnson to let him try to shore up the West's response to Russian aggression in Ukraine and deal with the cost of living crisis.

Former minister Crispin Blunt said: 'We've lost our sense of perspective on this. Everybody needs to take a step back.' The warning followed a dramatic announcement that Scotland Yard will now investigate 'potential breaches of Covid regulations' at numerous alleged events in No 10.

But Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns faced ridicule for defending Mr Johnson's presence at a surprise birthday bash in the Cabinet room on June 19 2020 when social events indoors were banned, saying he had been 'ambushed with a cake'. 

And Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said last night the 'sooner the report comes out now the better', adding: 'We can't sit under this cloud, paralysing the Prime Minister, paralysing the Government.'

Referencing the threat of Russian invasion into Ukraine, he continued: 'These issues that are hanging over our Government at the moment, they need to be dealt with as soon as possible and I do hope that Sue Gray gets her report in tonight and it is published tomorrow.'

It is not clear whether Mr Johnson was personally involved in any of the the incidents under criminal investigation. The offences carry £100 fixed penalty fines. 

The PM's official spokesman signalled that Mr Johnson would be willing to speak to those at Scotland Yard investigating the alleged breaches of coronavirus rules over the past two years.

However, he said Mr Johnson believes he has not broken the law.

The chaos erupted on Tuesday after it was revealed that a birthday party, complete with cake and singing, was held for Mr Johnson in No10 in June 2020. 

The police probe represents a step change in the seriousness of the situation facing the Prime Minister and senior staff at No10, who could face £100 fines, and, more seriously, the end of their political careers.  

Despite a mounting Tory revolt, a slew of MPs gave noisy support to the premier in the chamber, branding the accusations 'vexatious' and asking why Keir Starmer was not under investigation.

During a hearing at the London Assembly, Dame Cressida pointed out that under guidelines police have not examined historical allegations of lockdown breaches unless there is clear evidence and a lack of a defence. 

'We have a long-established and effective working relationship with the Cabinet Office, who have an investigative capability,' she said.

'As you well know they have been carrying out an investigation over the last few weeks.

'What I can tell you this morning is that as a result of the information provided by the Cabinet Office inquiry team and, secondly, my officers' own assessment, I can confirm that the Met is now investigating a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations.'

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors, the Metropolitan Police's lead for Covid-19 who was previously embroiled in row over policing of the Sarah Everard vigil, has been put in charge of the investigation.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: 'The Special Enquiry Team will lead the investigations. DAC Jane Connors will oversee the investigation in her role as the Met's lead officer for Covid.' 

Jacob Rees-Mogg walked out of Cabinet and straight over to cameras to vow loyalty to Mr Johnson.

'I am honoured to be under his leadership,' the Commons Leader said. 

But former minister David Davis - who last week called for Mr Johnson to quit - said: 'With the police now investigating, this nightmare gets even worse. We have to be able to get back to dealing with real threats as quickly as possible.' 

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps admitted this morning that he was 'upset' by the latest allegations that up to 30 people gathered in the Cabinet Room, presented Mr Johnson with a cake and sang to him.

Sent out to field questions, Mr Shapps was pushed on why interior designer Lulu Lytle, who had been refurbishing Mr Johnson's flat, had come down three flights of stairs and was present at the alleged party. 

'You are asking me questions I can't provide the answer to because I wasn't there,' Mr Shapps said. 

Mr Shapps - usually one of the most loyal ministers who has been a key figure trying to quell the revolt up to now - told Sky News: 'It was his (Boris Johnson's) birthday and these are people that he worked with all the time.

'As I said, I don't seek to defend it. This is for Sue Gray to decide on whether this was appropriate, she'll make the recommendations.

The minister seemed to lay the blame squarely on Mr Johnson's wife Carrie - sometimes dubbed Carrie Antoinette by critics due to her influence behind the scenes - who is believed to have organised the gathering in the Cabinet Room on June 19, 2020. 

'Look, as the Prime Minister's said, where mistakes were made, even though it wasn't… I mean, he would have turned up and the cake would have been there,' he told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

'He didn't know about it, and it clearly shouldn't happen.

'But Sue Gray will get to the bottom of that; the Prime Minister's already said there will be consequences falling out from the Sue Gray report, and my hope is we can get to see that very quickly.'

He added: 'We know that this was a surprise, the Prime Minister obviously wasn't involved in that surprise, but we need to have a full understanding of all of that.' 

Tory MPs are on high alert for more damaging revelations after it emerged that the PM's 56th birthday celebration included a Union Jack cake, Marks and Spencer's nibbles and singing.

The event, first revealed by ITV, was apparently already on Ms Gray's radar. Earlier that day Mr Johnson had posed with his arms outstretched with children at a school in Hertfordshire to show the importance of social distancing. 

In March, Mr Johnson had praised a girl named Josephine who wrote to him saying she was cancelling her seventh birthday while the pandemic was raging.  

Getting to his feet in the Commons this afternoon, Mr Johnson said: 'A few weeks ago I commissioned an independent inquiry into a series of events in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office as well as some other Whitehall departments that may have constituted potential breaches of the Covid regulations.

'That process has quite properly involved sharing information continuously with the Metropolitan Police.

'So I welcome the Met's decision to conduct its own investigation because I believe this will help to give the public the clarity it needs and help to draw a line under matters.

'But I want to reassure the House, Mr Speaker, and the country that I and the whole Government are focused 100 per cent on dealing with the people's priorities, including the UK's leading role in protecting freedom around the world.'

Dame Cressida told London Assembly members that investigations were carried out for 'the most serious and flagrant type of breach' where there was evidence and three criteria were met.

'My three factors were and are: there was evidence that those involved knew, or ought to have known that what they were doing was an offence.

'Where not investigating would significantly undermine the legitimacy of the law.

'And where there was little ambiguity around the absence of any reasonable defence.

'So in those cases, where those criteria were met, the guidelines suggested that we should potentially investigate further and end up giving people tickets.'

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: 'The investigation being carried out by Sue Gray is continuing.

'There is ongoing contact with the Metropolitan Police Service.'

Dame Cressida said that the police officers on site at Downing Street concentrate on 'protective security'.

She said: 'There are a number of officers posted in the surrounds of Downing Street and indeed what we call generally the government security zone.

'They have a very clear role and that is protective security. You'll be aware that the ones you see are all armed, and they have a job to do.

'In relation to anything they may have seen or heard, or done or not done. Again, I'm afraid I'm not prepared to comment.

'But I can assure you that we are carrying out our investigations and if that is a relevant matter, we will find out about that.'

Told that there must by CCTV of the alleged breaches in Downing Street, Dame Cressida said: 'I don't anticipate any difficulty in obtaining the evidence that it is both necessary, proportionate and appropriate for us to obtain in order to get to the right conclusions.' 

The Met said it had carried out 'detailed assessments of these outline findings' from the Cabinet Office.

The force is investigating whether regulations were breached 'during events at Downing Street and Whitehall on a number of dates'.

'The MPS has written to the Cabinet Office this morning with a formal request for it to refer all relevant information gathered from its inquiry in relation to events on the dates in question to support the police investigations,' the statement said.

The PM's official spokesman said: 'Firstly, the Prime Minister thinks it is entirely right for the police to investigate these matters.

'He commissioned the Cabinet Office to establish the facts and, as set out in the published terms of reference, and as the (Met) Commissioner has said this morning, the independent process has always involved the sharing of information with the Met and the ability for the Met to take forward and investigate matters pertaining to the law, as is right.

'The PM fully acknowledges the public's anger and concern about what has been reported, he has taken responsibility for his judgments made and it is right the Met should be now given the time and space to undertake their investigations.

'It will provide the public with welcome clarity and help draw a line under these events and everyone required will fully co-operate in any way they are asked.'

No10 said Cabinet had not discussed the police investigation, although he mentioned it at the end of the session.  

The spokesman said: 'That was confirmed by the police while Cabinet was taking place so he didn't reference it specifically, he alluded to that at the end of Cabinet but beyond that no.

'He made those comments about ensuring the Government is not deterred from getting on with the job, he didn't go into detail about the Met given that Cressida Dick made her comments while Cabinet was taking place.'

The spokesman added: 'The Prime Minister was made aware shortly before Cressida Dick announced that in her session.'

Asked if Mr Johnson knew about the investigation before Cabinet, the spokesman replied: 'Yes.' 

Ms Gray will pause investigating or publishing any party allegations that the police are inspecting but is free to publish other matters in her inquiry, No 10 has suggested.

The PM's spokesman said: 'As the terms of reference make clear, they won't publish anything that relates to the work of the police, there are a number of events and allegations that they have looked into that the police said don't reach their threshold, which they are able to continue looking into.

'And it is my understanding that they will be able to publish detail about those events rather than ones which the police might be taking forward.'

He added: 'It's up to the investigation team when they publish, it's my understanding they are able to publish the aspects that aren't a matter for the police.'

Discussing the events the police are investigating, the spokesman said: 'I think under the terms of reference that work (for the Gray inquiry) pauses, I don't know what that means once the Met Police's investigation concludes, whether they return to them and continue.'

The terms of reference for the Gray inquiry state: 'As with all internal investigations, if during the course of the work any evidence emerges of behaviour that is potentially a criminal offence, the matter will be referred to the police and the Cabinet Office's work may be paused.' 

Downing Street said this afternoon that 'there are discussions still ongoing between the

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