Boris Johnson is under more pressure from reports of another party not featured in Sue Gray's report.- His wife Carrie is said to have sent messages describing another gathering on 19 June 2020.
Boris Johnson is under continued pressure over
The new information prompted claims of a "cover-up" from the Labour Party.
The new evidence is about
According to The Sunday Times, messages she sent that day "appear to show that she was in the flat with several friends on the evening of her husband's 56th birthday".
"They also suggest that the prime minister went up to the flat, at a time when events or two or more people indoors were banned except for work purposes," the newspaper reported.
The Telegraph also has details of the text messages sent during the June 2020 gathering. Johnson is said to have described herself as being "with the gays", which the paper termed an "affectionate nickname" for a close group of her friends.
The messages were not featured in Gray's official report into illicit parties in and around Downing Street.
Johnson's spokesperson said Gray, a senior civil servant, was made aware of the texts "as part of her exhaustive inquiry into alleged breaches" of COVID rules.
Angela Rayner, Labour's deputy leader, said: "Another day. Another cover-up.
"Why won't No. 10 tell the truth about yet another gathering - in the Downing Street flat on the PM's birthday? This unexamined evidence must be handed over - and new questions about misconduct must now be answered."
On top of this, there have been growing questions about a reported gathering on 13 November 2020, dubbed the Abba party because of the loud music said to have been played.
In her report, Gray said she stopped investigating that particular event when the police started its investigation, and chose not to pursue her inquiry afterwards.
The Sunday Times also reported that "partial drafts" of the report had been circulated among Number 10 officials prior to its publication last Wednesday, and that Gray was "lobbied on Tuesday evening to make changes by three senior civil servants: [Johnson's permanent secretary Samantha] Jones, Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, and Alex Chisholm, the permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office."
Witnesses who were interviewed by Gray told the Telegraph they had "told both her and the Met Police" about the bash, and that "despite us offering this information, it was never followed up by anyone".
Chris Bryant, chair of the standards and privileges committees who has recused himself from the forthcoming investigation, said: "At this rate, as more evidence comes to light of significant failures to investigate and of ministers interfering in her "independent" report, Sue Gray will want to clear her name."
Johnson is under growing pressure to regain control, after a further wave of Conservative MPs submitted letters of no confidence in his leadership in the wake of the report, and an MP resigned his job at the Home Office in disgust at the "toxic" culture in Number 10.
Speaking Monday morning, a minister said it was "not immediately obvious" a further investigation was needed.
Chris Philp, the technology and digital economy minister, told Sky News: "Having had two separate investigations, including by the police, over many months it's not immediately obvious to me that we need any more investigations when this has probably, rightly, been the most thoroughly investigated set of incidents in recent times."