Sue Gray, Simon Case and a tale of two appointments

When Boris Johnson appointed Simon Case to the Cabinet Office, he believed that the youngest cabinet secretary in a century (just 41 when he accepted the role) would be more malleable than his more experienced rivals. Case was appointed in September 2020, when Dominic Cummings was, in effect, running No. 10 and had big ideas about rewiring Whitehall. ‘Simon was picked to be Dom’s stooge,’ says one former Johnson aide. ‘His role was to let Dom be Dom.’

Conversely, when Keir Starmer asked Sue Gray to be his chief of staff, the idea was that a civil servant with her seniority would be able to bring to Labour, a party that has been out of power for more than a decade, the planning and expertise needed to prepare for government. There was also the bonus that her new position could be read as a damning verdict on the Tories’ behaviour in government, since she was the one to have investigated Johnson’s parties in No. 10.

Both appointments were ultimately aimed at shaping the machinery of government. Now they risk becoming drag anchors. Case has been significantly weakened by several recent dramas, including his role in the government-by-WhatsApp during lockdown, and what he knew about Richard Sharp’s link to a loan for Boris Johnson, while there are doubts Gray will take up her post before the election. 

To the annoyance of Labour, the Tories have spent the final days of the local election campaign not talking about core issues but moving the news agenda to concerns over Gray’s appointment. ‘It’s Sue Gray week,’ says one excitable aide. While some of this is political point-scoring, there are legitimate questions over the appointment process which could come back to haunt Starmer.

Gray is subject to two inquiries about whether she correctly disclosed the negotiations with Labour over the job.