What a surprise: the ultimate Whitehall insider looks set to be cleared by Whitehall. Sue Gray, the keeper of ministers’ secrets, caused outcry back in March when it was revealed she was lined up to become Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. How, asked outraged Tories, could a supposedly impartial mandarin defect from being the government’s sleazebuster-in-chief to go and work for the opposition? Surely such a move ought to be against the rules?
Well, er, no it turns out. For the Times is reporting today that Starmer will be able to appoint Gray in the autumn, after watchdog Acoba – the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments – recommended Gray should take just six months’ gardening leave. This is despite a report by senior officials recommended Gray be barred from the role for a year, with a further six-month block on her contacting the government. Oh, and there’s the small matter of whether Gray breached the civil service code on multiple counts by failing to act with ‘honest, integrity and impartiality’ in her dealings with Labour.
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