YORK Central MP Rachael Maskell has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign in the wake of the damning 'Partygate' report by Sue Gray published today.

The Gray report gave details of gatherings at which officials drank so much they were sick, sang karaoke, became involved in altercations and abused security and cleaning staff at a time when millions of people across the country were unable to see friends and family.

But at a press conference this afternoon, the Prime Minister refused to resign, saying: "I overwhelmingly feel it is my job to get on and deliver." 

He acknowledged that people were 'indignant' over the damning findings of Sue Gray's report and said he took 'full responsibility' for the scandal - but still sought to play down his personal involvement in the gatherings detailed in the report.

He said: "No matter how bitter and painful the conclusions of this may be - and they are - and no matter how humbling they are, I have got to keep moving forward and the Government has got to keep moving."

But speaking after the press conference Labour MP Ms Maskell said the PM must go.

“While families were denied the most important of moments, to say farewell to their loved ones, the Prime Minister continued to justify his choice to break the rules and hold a party to say farewell to his staff as the right thing to do," she said.

Ms Maskell said that alongside the conclusions of Sue Gray’s report was the damning statement that there were 'multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff'. But she said the Prime Minister had yet to apologise to these staff.

"It all goes to show that he is out of touch with the hurt he has caused, as he continues to prioritise himself. He must resign," she said.”

Her comments were echoed by Cllr Claire Douglas, the leader of the opposition Labour group on City of York Council.

She said: "The findings of the Sue Gray Report are unequivocal. Wrong-doing and law-breaking on a massive scale has taken place in Downing Street. How Boris Johnson cannot see that he must resign from his position as Prime Minister is beyond me. The British public will not ‘move on’ from this and nor should we. He must go and the sooner the better."

Meanwhile Cllr Carol Runciman, the council's Liberal Democrat executive member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, urged Conservative MPs to oust Mr Johnson from office.

"Whilst people across York obeyed lockdown rules, often at huge personal cost to keep each other safe as the virus gripped the city, the Prime Minister broke the law and held illegal parties," she said.

"The details in this damning report will further anger and upset so many people who made unimaginable personal sacrifices during the pandemic.

"The Prime Minister’s actions and words directly and continuously undermined trust in crucial public health rules, making the job of committed local Public Health teams and key workers even more complicated.

"Enough is enough. Conservative MPs cannot continue to allow our great country to be run by a Prime Minister who broke the law then repeatedly lied about it. As the Prime Minister is not willing to do the honourable thing and resign, it’s finally time Julian Sturdy MP and his Conservative colleagues hold their party leader to account. It’s time letters of no-confidence in the Prime Minister are submitted to finally end this chaos.”

Earlier, Mr Johnson told MPs he took 'full responsibility' after the Gray report was published. He sought to play down his personal involvement in the gatherings detailed in the the report, but acknowledged that they took place 'on my watch'.

The report said the 'senior leadership' in No 10 must 'bear responsibility' for the culture which led to lockdown rules being broken at a series of events in 2020 and 2021.

The Metropolitan Police has issued 126 fines for rule breaches in No 10 and Whitehall, with the Prime Minister receiving a single fixed-penalty notice for his birthday party in the Cabinet Room in June 2020.

But senior civil servant Ms Gray condemned the wider culture that had been allowed to develop under Mr Johnson's leadership.

She said some of the more junior officials who attended parties 'believed that their involvement in some of these events was permitted given the attendance of senior leaders'.

She added: "The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture."

She also said there were "multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff" during the events, which was "unacceptable".

"Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of Government," she said.

"The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this."