I am confident Sue Gray did not break rules – Keir Starmer

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he is confident that senior civil servant Sue Gray has not broken any rules in talking to Labour about a role.

Ms Gray was offered a job as Sir Keir’s chief of staff in March.

Sir Keir also said he did not have any discussions with Ms Gray while she was investigating former PM Boris Johnson.

The Cabinet Office will update MPs later on its investigation into the circumstances around her resignation with a written statement.

The report is not expected to be the final judgement on Ms Gray’s departure, which will come from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba).

The watchdog is to recommend how long Ms Gray, who probed lockdown gatherings in Downing Street, should wait before being allowed to take up the job with Labour.

Sir Keir accused the government of using the issue to try and deflect from the local election campaign, saying it should be focusing on the cost-of-living crisis instead.

“[The public are] not sitting at their breakfast talking about Sue Gray, they’re talking about their bills,” he told BBC Breakfast.

Asked whether Ms Gray had broken any code of conduct, Sir Keir said: “Firstly I had no discussions with her whilst she was investigating Boris Johnson whatsoever.”

He added: “I’m confident she hasn’t broken any of the rules.”

Under the civil service code, officials of Ms Gray’s seniority must wait a minimum of three months before taking up outside employment.

Senior civil servants, as well as ministers, are expected to check with Acoba about any employment they wish to take within two years of leaving government.

The body provides advice and can recommend a delay of up to two years in starting a new job, but it has no power to block appointments.

However, Labour has said the party and Ms Gray will abide by its recommendations.

A long delay could hamper attempts to have Ms Gray in place well before the next general election, which is widely expected next year, to help Labour prepare for government if it wins power.

Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin has previously said Ms Gray’s talks with Labour may have breached civil service rules, including the requirement to inform Acoba before a job offer is announced, and to clear contact with opposition parties with ministers.

Ms Gray became well known after she was chosen to look into the Partygate scandal last year.

She has held a number of senior positions, including head of the government’s propriety and ethics team, since joining the civil service in the 1970s.

Ms Gray resigned from the post of second permanent secretary in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in March, after it emerged she had been offered a job with Labour.

Labour has insisted it did not approach Ms Gray until after her Partygate report was published.

Bur Mr Johnson and his allies have seized on Labour’s job offer to claim Ms Gray’s investigation when he was in power was an attempt to smear him.

Her report was critical of the senior political and civil service leadership, saying they “must bear responsibility” for the culture at No 10 during Covid lockdowns.

It contributed to Mr Johnson’s downfall as prime minister, prompting numerous Conservative MPs to call on him to resign.