The struggles of Downing Street cleaning staff have been exposed following the damning report into alcohol-fuelled, lockdown-breaking parties at UK prime minister Boris Johnson's office.

The report by senior official Sue Gray did not specifically blame Johnson but included photographs of him toasting staff with wine, and gave graphic details of boozy gatherings where officials vomited, had fights, and spilled wine across walls. 

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Gray's report stated the security guards and cleaning staff were subject to "multiple examples" of a "lack of respect and poor treatment" and were "unable to raise [this] properly" with the relevant authorities.

After a December 18 party, which took place in the Downing Street press office, a cleaner found red wine had been spilled over the walls and on boxes of photocopier paper, the report said.

Following another event, Martin Reynolds, Johnson's former principal private secretary, boasted to colleagues on the WhatsApp messaging service that staff appeared to have "got away" with drinks events in the Downing Street garden in May 2020.

Security guard 'mocked'

The report came out as BBC's Panorama program detailed how a 'custodian' -  the term used for the Downing Street security - was mocked when they objected after walking in on a party.

"I remember when a custodian tried to stop it all, and he was just shaking his head in this party, being like, 'This shouldn't be happening,'" the source told the BBC.

"People made fun of him because he was so worked up that this party was happening, and it shouldn't be happening." 

Johnson said he would personally apologize to staff, stating that it was "repugnant" that staff were mistreated. The PM added that inquiries to determine who was responsible had been made. 

The deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, Angela Rayner, stated that "The treatment and mockery doled out to cleaning and security staff that has now been exposed is beyond shameful," in a Twitter post. 

The death of Emanuel Gomes 

The report has brought to light the case of Emanuel Gomes, a government cleaner who was instructed to keep coming into work during lockdown. When he fell ill with COVID-19, Gomes - who could only claim £95.85 ($120.92) per week in statutory sick pay - continued to come to work. 

The United Voices of the World (UVW) union, on their  'Justice for Emanuel' campaign page, reports that "Emanuel hadn't eaten at all, or had barely eaten, during the five days before his death and was so weak in the hours before his death that he barely knew where he was or how to get home."

When asked about Gomes' death, Steve Barclay, the Downing Street Chief of Staff, called it a "heartbreaking case" and that "all our hearts will go out to his family."

Referencing Johnson's management of the pandemic, in which an estimated 178,000 Britons died, Labour MP, Andy McDonald, asked the PM, "how does he sleep at night with so much blood on his filthy privileged hands?"