Police have asked Sue Gray to cut back long-awaited details of Westminster parties when she publishes her report.
The civil servant’s inquiry into the major lockdown scandal was due this week with Tories fearing it would hugely damage Boris Johnson.
The Tory leader and No10 staff are being investigated over a series of parties held while Covid restrictions were in place.
Earlier this week senior Met officers confirmed they had finally launched their own inquiry after seeing evidence handed over from Ms Gray.
The cross over means Ms Gray’s report may have to be heavily redacted or delayed.
‘Minimal reference’
A Met Police statement read: “For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report.
“The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation.”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the public were being “taken for fools” after the latest shock development and warned the scandal was being “kicked into the long grass”.
He said: “The Sue Gray report must be published in full and undoctored without further delay. This UK government farce has gone on long enough. People are understandably concerned that this increasingly looks like a cover up.
“It is a fact that Boris Johnson broke the rules, lied about it, and misled parliament. This is an extremely serious resignation matter – and he must be held to account. The Prime Minister cannot be allowed to wriggle off the hook by using the Metropolitan Police investigation as an excuse to further delay or doctor the report.”
Scottish Tory MPs refusing to call for Boris Johnson to resign have repeatedly said they will wait for Sue Gray’s report to be released before commenting further.
The Prime Minister himself has also repeatedly brushed off pleas to quit by saying rivals should hold off from coming to a final verdict before the inquiry is published.
Calls to quit
Earlier this week the Tory leader again said he would not step down from his post despite being urged to go by Keir Starmer and Ian Blackford.
Scottish Conservative boss Douglas Ross sparked a party civil war between Holyrood and Westminster when he demanded his resignation.
Meanwhile, last Wednesday former Brexit minister David Davis made an extraordinary intervention from his backbenches as he turned against the Prime Minister and told him: “In the name of God, go.”
Nicola Sturgeon has also demanded Sue Gray’s report is released in full as her Tory rivals fights for political survival.
Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale meanwhile warned the ongoing scandal could further sink public trust in UK politicians.