Labour on defensive as celebration hits out at Sue Gray ‘vendetta’
M
inisters are pursuing a “vendetta” towards partygate investigator Sue Gray, Labour has claimed, because the row intensified over her appointment as Sir Keir Starmer’s subsequent chief of workers.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves accused the Prime Minister of “political gimmicks” after a Cabinet Office probe into the high-ranking Whitehall official’s departure was launched.
The Government investigation into Ms Gray’s swap to a senior function within the Labour chief’s workplace has been paused as a result of she refused to co-operate, prompting fury from some Tory MPs.
Ms Reeves insisted the Labour celebration and Ms Gray had been co-operating with the “normal process” for scrutinising new jobs for ex-civil servants run by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba).
“The issue here is that there are two inquiries going on,” Ms Reeves advised Times Radio. “There is the usual one, the Acoba process, which Sue Gray is co-operating with fully, and then there is the political gimmick one set up by Government ministers to pursue this vendetta they have got against Sue Gray.”
But Security Minister Tom Tugendhat argued that Ms Gray’s appointment, together with when she started conversations with the Labour celebration, “raises questions” and must be absolutely investigated.
“The person I’m most surprised at, frankly, is Keir Starmer,” he advised LBC.
“He’s painted himself as a white knight in all this and he’s not co-operating with the civil service or, rather, he’s not asking the person he nominated to co-operate with the civil service body that’s investigating it. That’s a decision for him, obviously, but it does raise questions.”
In a written assertion to the House of Commons yesterday, Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden stated the Government would “consider next steps” after Ms Gray “chose not to” communicate to the investigation.
It was launched following issues that she had engaged with the opposition whereas wanting into allegations of events being held in Downing Street throughout lockdowns.
The Government has submitted a “confidential assessment” to Acoba, which is able to “consider evidence from a range of sources to make a recommendation on any appropriate restrictions on the appointment”, Mr Dowden stated.
The watchdog can set suggestions for when senior folks depart authorities.
The failure of the Whitehall inquiry’s final result to materialise got here after reported intense negotiations between Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and Government ministers.
Mr Case is claimed to have blocked the plans amid issues over publishing a politically-charged report days earlier than the native elections when the Government is supposed to look at “purdah” guidelines on political impartiality.
It got here as Ms Reeves was additionally compelled to defend Sir Keir’s U-turn on his dedication to abolish tuition charges.
She blamed the Government’s dealing with of the economic system for the coverage shift.
“The Tories have crashed the economy… and that does mean that we need to look again at what we can afford,” Ms Reeves stated.
Rishi Sunak thinks it’s “obviously disappointing” that Ms Gray selected to not co-operate with the investigation, No 10 stated.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary denied Labour’s declare that he’s pursuing a “vendetta”.