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Bob Neill, Conservative chairman of the Justice Select Committee spoke of Sue Gray’s “very, very strong condemnation of a failure in leadership both on the civil service side and on the political side”.

The MP for Bromley and Chislehurst told Times Radio:

Now I’m surprised frankly that some senior civil servants in Downing Street are still in post after what was found, but ultimately the political leadership, I’m afraid, stops with the Prime Minister and the accountability to the public stops with the Prime Minister.

That requires, I think, a fresh momentum and it requires real drive and I don’t think that the situation that unfortunately has happened in Number 10 leaves the prime minister able to take that initiative.

In the long term, charisma which the prime minister has and energy which he’s shown isn’t always enough. There has I think also to be a sense of seriousness of purpose and of responsibility and I think the British people are going to expect that particularly as we are facing some very tough times over the next couple of years. To do that I think we have to get the tone right and optimism has its place, but also seriousness and self discipline and restraint has its place too.