Labour storm brews as insiders predict probe will rule talks with Sue Gray were kept secret

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Labour storm brews as insiders predict Cabinet Office probe will rule talks with Sue Gray to make her chief of staff WERE kept secret in breach of Civil Service code

By Glen Owen and Dan Hodges

Published: | Updated:

Sir Keir Starmer will come under pressure this week following his attempt to hire Partygate investigator Sue Gray ahead of the conclusion of an inquiry into whether she breached official rules by meeting the Labour leader secretly.

Conservatives are expected to demand to know when she was first approached by Labour to become Sir Keir’s chief of staff – and whether the appointment will go ahead if she is censured.

The move by Ms Gray, who carried out the Partygate inquiry into Boris Johnson‘s behaviour in Downing Street during the pandemic, triggered a fresh row over the neutrality of the Civil Service and angered Mr Johnson’s supporters.

Now insiders predict that the Cabinet Office will conclude that the talks were kept secret from Whitehall officials in breach of the Civil Service code.

Sir Keir Starmer will come under pressure this week following his attempt to hire Partygate investigator Sue Gray ahead of the conclusion of an inquiry into whether she breached official rules by meeting the Labour leader secretly

Sue Gray (pictured) carried out the Partygate inquiry into Boris Johnson's behaviour in Downing Street during the pandemic

Sue Gray (pictured) carried out the Partygate inquiry into Boris Johnson’s behaviour in Downing Street during the pandemic

The Tories are planning to address the ‘issues raised’ and ‘lessons learned’ in a written statement laid before the Commons on Tuesday.

It follows reports last week that Ms Gray – who was recruited to head Labour’s efforts to ‘transition’ into Government – could be banned from working for the party until after the next Election, which is expected by autumn 2024.

The five key questions 

1. When did you first approach Sue Gray?

2. Will you still hire her if she has breached the Civil Service code?

3. Will you still hire her if she is blocked from taking the job for two years?

4. Will you guarantee there will be no contact with Labour during that period?

5. Have you or your team had any other undisclosed contacts with civil servants?

She resigned after news of her hiring leaked in March before her new job had been discussed with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, the body that vets the roles civil servants take after leaving Whitehall. The watchdog could recommend a cooling-off period of up to two years because of the seniority of her role as Second Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office, it is claimed.

Sir Keir is likely to face a barrage of questions from the Tories, such as when Ms Gray was approached, whether he will still hire her if she is found to have breached the code or is blocked for two years. They are also expected to demand a guarantee that she will not be in touch with Labour during a cooling-off period and to know if Sir Keir’s office has had any other secret contacts with civil servants.

Insiders told The Mail on Sunday they expect the Cabinet Office to conclude she breached the code on the grounds of ‘impartiality’, because she was involved in secret discussions with Labour when she was conducting sensitive meetings with Ministers; of ‘honesty’, because Ministers were in the dark over the talks; and of ‘integrity’, because her professionalism could be called into question.

Government sources predict the Cabinet Office findings are likely to make ‘extremely uncomfortable reading’ for Ms Gray.