Partygate investigator Sue Gray ‘could be banned from working with Labour until after the next election’
Sue Gray #SueGray
Partygate investigator Sue Gray might be banned from working with Labour until after the next General Election, sources claim.
There was outcry when it was revealed in March that Sue Gray, who conducted an inquiry into Boris Johnson’s behaviour in Downing Street during the pandemic, would be switching to a party political role.
Sir Keir Starmer offering career mandarin Gray the role of Chief of Staff caused controversy over claims she had been liaising with the Opposition.
Officials speculated about whether the civil servant had been leaking Government information to Labour – something her friends categorically deny.
Senior Whitehall figures now believe a cooling-off period of up to two years may be imposed on Gray, due to the sensitive role she held in the partygate inquiry, The Sun reports.
There was outcry when it was revealed in March that Sue Gray , who conducted an inquiry into Boris Johnson’s behaviour in Downing Street during the pandemic, would be switching to a party political role
Sir Keir Starmer offering career mandarin Gray the role of Chief of Staff caused controversy over claims she had been liaising with the Opposition
This ban would put her approved starting date after the General Election, which is expected as early as May or June 2024 up to the latest possible date in January 2025.
No matter what date will be decided upon for the General Election, a two-year ban would take Gray out of action until March 2025.
Rishi Sunak is believed to be ready to block or delay Ms Gray’s appointment.
The PM can theoretically stop a senior civil servant from taking up a job outside Whitehall if the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) warns him it is ‘unsuitable’.
However, the power has never been used and mandarins have only ever been told to wait up to two years before starting a controversial new role.
Labour said Ms Gray will abide by the verdict of Whitehall appointments body ACOBA anyway, meaning Mr Sunak might not need to take action to enforce it.
The controversy surrounding Gray being offered the role intensified when a Government source claimed her negotations with labour had been ongoing for over a year.
On March 24, a Government source said: ‘One of Sue Gray’s managers has told Cabinet Office officials that they believe secret contacts with Labour began well before last November [and] may have been going on for over 12 months. It all appears to have been done ”off the books”.’ This is longer than previously thought.
Mr Johnson has also drawn up a rebuttal of some statements made in his cross-examination, including the claim that he saw more than one leaving party which broke the rules.
If Mr Johnson is suspended for ten days, a recall petition could be triggered, letting voters in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency decide whether to force a contest.
Sir Keir’s spokeswoman flatly denied that Ms Gray had been in talks with Labour for about a year, saying: ‘As is well documented and Keir has said, the chief of staff vacancy only arose in autumn 2022.’
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