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.
Now all that is apparently in the past, with Acoba said to be concerned about ‘the strength of the Cabinet Office’s report on Gray’s departure and the length of the ban’ which would have been unprecedented. Perish the thought! Ministers could choose to reject Acoba’s advice but they have no power to stop her from taking up the role. That paves the way for Gray to become Starmer’s enforcer-in-chief and make plans for power. And one name on her hit list will be the Cabinet Secretary who reportedly blocked her from becoming a Permanent Secretary.
A good day for Sue Gray means a bad one for Simon Case…
Comments