LONDON (Reuters) – A former senior British government official whose “partygate” investigation helped catalyse the exit of Boris Johnson as prime minister can take up a job with the opposition Labour Party in September, a watchdog said on Friday.
Labour said in March that its leader, Keir Starmer, had picked Sue Gray as his new chief of staff, an appointment which prompted some in the ruling Conservative Party to query whether she had been impartial in her probe into law-breaking parties at Johnson’s Downing Street office during COVID lockdowns.
The independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which oversees rules on new jobs for former ministers and senior civil servants, said Gray should wait six months from her last day as a government official, March 2, before taking up the job.
“There has been no evidence provided to the Committee that Ms Gray’s decision-making or ability to remain impartial was impaired whilst she remained in her Civil Service role,” the committee said.
“Given the lack of commercial risk, and the limited scope for undue influence, the Committee determined that twice the standard waiting period would be proportionate to mitigate the risks identified.”
Gray, a senior civil servant with decades of government experience, came into the national spotlight last year for her damning investigation into the “partygate” scandal.
The findings of what came to be known as the Sue Gray report caused public outrage, provided fuel for Starmer to attack Johnson during parliamentary appearances and was among the factors that led to his resignation as prime minister last year.
Labour, out of power since 2010, is far ahead of the Conservatives in opinion polls ahead of an election expected next year.
Gray was ethics chief at the Cabinet Office from 2012-2018 and, according to a profile by the Times newspaper last year, has a reputation for being the “ultimate fixer” across government departments.
Starmer said he looked forward to her starting work.
“She brings unrivalled experience on how the machinery of government works and is a woman of great integrity,” he said.
Starmer has said he did not have any conversations with Gray while she was carrying out the “partygate” investigation.
The committee said it had not been provided with any evidence that Gray’s “brief personal conversations” with Labour during her time in office had involved discussing government policy or business.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
