Politics
Sinead Butler
Jan 27, 2022
AP/GOV.UK
As the wait continues for the highly anticipated report into the numerous allegations of Downing Street parties said to have taken place while Covid restrictions were in place, let's all spare a thought for Sue Gray.
The senior civil servant who is in charge of investigating these claims came to be in this role after Cabinet Secretary Simon Case the initial leader of the investigation stepped down amid reports that events were also held in his department.
Gray has the unenviable task of determining what happened on numerous where it has been reported that Covid rules were broken, including the bring your own booze" party in the No 10 garden, Johnson's alleged birthday bash, and a fair few Christmas events like a confirmed party at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) with Shaun Bailey, aides and volunteers which led to Bailey resigning from his role. There are even reports that gatherings with 30 Downing Street staff took place the day before Prince Philip's funeral.)
Even Sherlock Holmes would sigh at this amount of work.
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With any government scandal, people on Twitter can always be counted on to create some hilarious memes to take the mickey out of the situation - and everyone is sympathetic to Gray's current task as the goalposts keep on moving, while others can't wait to see what the report says and some have already predicted what it might say.
Here are the top 35 Sue Gray memes:
Sue Gray be likepic.twitter.com/SFdar70S7s— Matthew Fellows (@Matthew Fellows) 1643270506
Rihanna Sue Gray\n\n \n Not releasing what\n the public want— Furquan Akhtar (@Furquan Akhtar) 1643217243
Sue Gray signing off her reportpic.twitter.com/VlE5kZvGA6— Declan Cashin (@Declan Cashin) 1643191529
Waiting for Sue Gray\u2019s reportpic.twitter.com/zYQ4hXv88i— Deirdre Barlow\u2019s peanut bowls (@Deirdre Barlow\u2019s peanut bowls) 1643209443
When it finally arrives, I'm expecting it to be a classic. #SueGraypic.twitter.com/XrmQFUii5J— Richard Hearn (@Richard Hearn) 1643231470
The Sue Gray report making its way through London.pic.twitter.com/NW2oSVqTiK— Paul Coleman (@Paul Coleman) 1643196952
Leaked copy of the Sue Gray reportpic.twitter.com/pe0jyyRzJU— Rebecca Filer (@Rebecca Filer) 1643204631
Sue Gray is believed to have finished her report yesterday, and 24 hours on hasn't handed it over. Going by my 60-hour labour, we're going to need gas and air by about tea-time tomorrow— Jane Merrick (@Jane Merrick) 1643224443
No 10 says PM \u2018does not yet have Sue Gray report\u2019, though it\u2019s possible he just didn\u2019t realise the thing with \u2018Sue Gray Report\u2019 on it was Sue Gray\u2019s Report.— Have I Got News For You (@Have I Got News For You) 1643195532
Sue Gray slowly drags a JPEG of Boris Johnson into her Microsoft Word document. The formatting gets all messed up. Paragraphs are indented by five inches. Every third page is blank now. She glances at the clock in panic.— Steve Hogarty (@Steve Hogarty) 1643194662
Sue Gray tonightpic.twitter.com/7LjakUF5Xd— Declan Cashin (@Declan Cashin) 1642110583
Sue Gray as more and more parties get reportedpic.twitter.com/OPURdgEhdu— Dan Ellis (@Dan Ellis) 1642112907
Sue Gray rnpic.twitter.com/cGeF8ZJ04s— george griffiths (@george griffiths) 1642111360
You are cordially invited to \n the launch of \n\n Sue Gray\u2019s\n *Report*\n\n B.Y.O.B.— Henry Mance (@Henry Mance) 1643135450
The first paragraph of the Sue Gray reportpic.twitter.com/IAQUdvBlts— Sandra Glab (@Sandra Glab) 1643132180
Sue Gray should just suddenly release the report onto everyone's phones like that U2 album.— Fergus Craig (@Fergus Craig) 1643184911
Entering Day 3 of waiting for Sue Gray\u2019s Downing Street parties report to drop like:pic.twitter.com/uRwsk164bw— Sophie Morris (@Sophie Morris) 1643186883
If I was Sue Gray I would publish the report and then put my out of office on.— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1643140032
Sneak preview of Sue Gray's report after my redactions:pic.twitter.com/ibhfdnbsJH— Parody Boris Johnson (@Parody Boris Johnson) 1643024841
Sue Gray\u2019s report is a file with a cake in it.— Rich Neville (@Rich Neville) 1643130698
we\u2019re gonna need a bigger Sue Graypic.twitter.com/NWKK0AFeRe— dave \u2744\ufe0f \ud83e\udd55 \ud83e\uddfb (@dave \u2744\ufe0f \ud83e\udd55 \ud83e\uddfb) 1643056317
Everyone in the UK waiting for Sue Gray\u2019s report\u2026pic.twitter.com/1N3eqIdb5o— Good Law Project (@Good Law Project) 1642925281
Sue Gray trying to finish the reportpic.twitter.com/ZMmsLzNdYz— Ivo Graham (@Ivo Graham) 1643065534
Sue Gray lights a cigarette, opens Word, new documenthttps://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1485677107556540424\u00a0\u2026— Esther Webber (@Esther Webber) 1643048539
Sue Gray trying to finish her reportpic.twitter.com/mmrKjsN00P— Jono (@Jono) 1642112194
Sue Gray about to drop the report (right before someone interrupts to inform her there was a 60 person gathering for pancake day)pic.twitter.com/wESfWKMzUC— James Felton (@James Felton) 1643052244
Sue Gray realising she has to add another party to the reporthttps://twitter.com/NoContextHearn/status/1263407645890928641\u00a0\u2026— Marin (@Marin) 1643048680
Sue Gray adding chapters to the report like:pic.twitter.com/vmggTRVIFz— Bohemian Sea Power (@Bohemian Sea Power) 1643048417
Sue Gray right nowpic.twitter.com/947SF1VbjW— Matt Chorley (@Matt Chorley) 1643048563
Sue Gray's report available tomorrow, but on vinyl only at a cost of \u00a379.99.— David Quantick (@David Quantick) 1643130345
We now go live to Sue Gray's office.pic.twitter.com/mr8A0wigyT— WulfHelm \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udda4 (@WulfHelm \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udda4) 1643107845
This was taken back when Sue Gray was first asked to do the report\u2026.pic.twitter.com/Otck8x8xMS— Hayley Ellis (@Hayley Ellis) 1643123614
Sue Gray\u2019s report so far.pic.twitter.com/PTSh2UoCvO— Amanda (@Amanda) 1643056660
Sue Gray right now after she saved her report as FINAL FINAL DOCx on the desktop for easy access when she has to email it over laterpic.twitter.com/acPBNNJRIJ— zesha saleem (@zesha saleem) 1643049462
Sue Gray tonightpic.twitter.com/01X3aRVveo— Grace Petrie (@Grace Petrie) 1643066598
Perhaps, Sue Gray should take a holiday once she's finished her investigation.
Though it is thought that the report is complete and ready it looks like we may still have a wait on our hands for the report after Liz Truss has said that Downing Street has not yet received it.
When questioned on if Downing Street were yet to see the report yesterday , the foreign secretary told Sky News: "That’s correct. And, of course, it’s an independent report, it’s a matter for Sue Gray when she sends that report, when she’s completed her work.”
She was also pushed on whether the report will be published in full to which Truss replied that there may be "security reasons" in parts of the investigation which are "problematic to publish."
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