Sue Gray is getting a new job with Labour, and it stinks

© Provided by The Telegraph Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who is set to be appointed by Keir Starmer. She previously investigated the Boris Johnson partygate affair

If Sue Gray is allowed to serve as Sir Keir Starmer’s new chief of staff (it has to be approved by Rishi Sunak), she will have formally entered the political arena. So it is fair to ask: what on earth is she doing?  

For the Leader of the Opposition the advantages are obvious. The line about her candidacy – that after 13 years out of government, much of the shadow cabinet doesn’t have a clue how to grip the Whitehall machine – is plausible enough. And having made such hay of the partygate inquiry, which Gray conducted, it won’t hurt Starmer to identify himself with the forces of procedure and institutional process.

But for the Civil Service it is a very dangerous development. It will damage the already waning faith among Conservatives in the impartiality of civil servants, since Gray was among the most senior of them all. Many of Boris Johnson’s supporters viewed the whole Sue Gray partygate inquiry as part of a witch-hunt. Gray formally taking a position with the Labour Party will do nothing to dampen such suspicions – indeed, some will take it as further proof of conspiracy.

Not all Conservatives think that way. But it is now more difficult for anyone to defend the rigorous impartiality of Whitehall or its processes. The whole point was that, by having a depoliticised system, politicians and their supporters can trust the advice imparted by officials. Sue Gray is just another one of those officials. She has imparted advice on very serious matters indeed, with significant political consequences. 

Of course, civil servants are not robots. They’re people, and are as likely to hold political views – and as entitled to do so – as anyone else. It is perfectly possible to conduct one’s public service in a fair and even-handed manner despite this. But we are in new territory if an extremely senior member of the apolitical system which manages the nation’s affairs jumps ship to an active, opposition political party. She would take with her all the knowledge she’s amassed from advising successive Conservative governments.

Some might ask: how many other Sue Grays are there? How many of those in senior civil service positions would be willing to become a Labour party worker? Worse still, if civil servants begin to view their roles as a pathway towards a political job, they may be tempted to cultivate their contacts and bolster their reputation with their preferred side. All trust would vanish. The consequences for the business of government could be dire. 

Starmer’s concerns about his inexperienced team are legitimate – but if training and advice is needed, it can surely be provided by the Civil Service? After all, it stepped forward to provide advice to all sides during the negotiations that followed the 2010 general election.

As it stands, he risks undermining the very Whitehall professionalism he claims to defend. The possible next prime minister would have as one of his most senior political aides the person who investigated one of his political opponents. That was an investigation which ultimately brought down the head of the government. The legitimacy of that process shouldn’t be undermined.   

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