Sheffield council leader Terry Fox says committee will consider Sue Gray report regarding Kate Josephs

A total of 12 gatherings at senior Government offices are now under police investigation according to a long-awaited and scathing report into lockdown breaching parties published on Monday (January 31) by civil servant Sue Gray.

Those include the leaving drinks held on December 17, 2020, for the then-director general of the Government’s Covid Taskforce Kate Josephs, who is now chief executive of Sheffield City Council.

Ms Josephs released a statement and apologised about the party just minutes before a national newspaper published the story on January 14.

It comes after Sheffield formed a cross-party committee of councillors to decide whether to take no further action, give an information warning or if further investigation is required.

Following the release of Sue Gray’s update today, the leader of the council, Terry Fox, has made the following statement: “It’s clear from Sue Gray’s update today that the event from December 17, 2020, is going to be investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

"The council’s cross-party committee is due to meet again tomorrow (February 1), and they will consider Sue Gray’s update as part of their deliberations. We now need to let the committee, chaired by councillor Julie Grocutt, do its work.”

Sue Gray looked at a total of 16 gatherings, 12 of which are now under police investigation.

She stresses in her report that "no conclusions should be drawn” from this.