Partygate investigator ‘may have broken impartiality rules’ by meeting with Starmer

‘Sue can’t have been a proper civil servant... the code requires us not to have any political beliefs’

ONE of the UK’s most senior civil servants has raised concerns that Whitehall’s chief partygate investigator potentially broke impartiality rules by holding secret meetings with Sir Keir Starmer.

In a Zoom call to officials reminding them of their duty to impartiality, Susan

Acland-Hood, the permanent secretary at the Department for Education, told civil servants that the appointment of Sue Gray as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff “is a real challenge to acting in a way that deserves and retains the confidence of ministers”.

Ms Gray, who resigned from the Civil Service on Thursday to take up a job in Sir Keir’s office, has faced criticism from Tory MPs who have voiced concerns regarding her political impartiality.

Ms Gray first came to public attention last year as the official investigating the partygate allegations.

Her findings have been used by the House of Commons Privileges Committee and are part of their review into whether the former prime minister misled Parliament.

The appointment has led Conservative MPs, especially allies of Boris Johnson, to question Ms Gray’s report on partygate.

In a statement to the Committee, Mr Johnson said: “It is surreal to discover that the committee proposes to rely on evidence culled and orchestrated by Sue Gray, who has just been appointed chief of staff to the leader of the Labour Party.”

He added: “This is particularly concerning given that the committee says it is proposing to rely on ‘the findings in the second permanent secretary’s report’ as ‘relevant facts which the committee will take into account’.

“I leave it to others to decide how much confidence may now be placed in her inquiry and in the reports that she produced.”

Following Ms Gray’s appointment, Ms Acland-Hood hosted a Zoom call on Friday with all officials in the Department for Education going through the Civil Service’s code on impartiality line by line.

The mandarin told fellow civil servants: “People who are saying there is a difficulty with this appointment because if Sue has ever held Labour Party-like political beliefs in her career she can’t have been a proper civil servant, don’t [sic] get that what the Civil Service code requires is not that we don’t have any political beliefs, but that we don’t allow our political beliefs to influence the way we do our jobs.”

“The next bit is the bit where I think some [sic] the reason why I think some people are right to think there is a difficulty about this appointment.

“So you have to act in a way that deserves and retains the confidence of ministers, while at the same time ensuring that you will be able to establish the same relationship with those who you may be required to serve in some future government.

“All I will say is I think that there is a real challenge to acting in a way that deserves and retains the confidence of ministers for someone so senior to go so quickly to a position in this way.”

She added: “I don’t really understand how this can possibly have happened without there being contact in advance which you shouldn’t be having without reporting it.”

Ms Acland-Hood concluded her remarks with a firm warning that “if anybody receives contact from the Leader of the Opposition or a member of the Shadow Cabinet you should tell your permanent secretary right away.”

Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, also questioned Ms Gray’s partygate report.

“Sue Gray’s evidence cannot be relied upon in any meaningful way until we know how long [she] has had a personal relationship with Keir Starmer, and for how long they have been discussing [her] going to work for him as his most trusted and important adviser.”

The Conservative MP Peter Bone ‘She has been actively engaged with Labour Party unbeknownst to ministers and others in department’

added to the criticism, saying: “The Privileges Committee has admitted its key witness is none other than Sue Gray.

“How can she possibly be called before the committee to answer all the points that it makes about her evidence – mentioning her dozens of times? This is a farce,” he said.

Responding to Ms Acland-Hood’s comments, Ben Bradley, a Conservative MP, told The Sunday Telegraph: “It’s not just Conservative MPs who have concerns over this appointment, it is now clear even senior civil servants are worried about its impact on Whitehall’s impartiality.

“In order to have taken this job Sue Gray must have been talking to Keir Starmer’s office about applying for the role and all that is involved in that.

“Therefore during her time as a civil servant, she has actively been engaged with the Labour Party unbeknownst to ministers and other people in her department.”

He added: “This is quite improper and could represent a serious breach of the rules.”

The Labour Party has refused to comment on how long they have been discussing the role with Ms Gray prior to her appointment, but a government source told The Telegraph that she has not declared any meetings with any Labour officials in the past few weeks.

Senior officials leaving the Civil Service are expected to inform Acoba, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, if they are taking on a new position that may cause a conflict of interest.

Acoba has written to Ms Gray to ask why she has failed to do this.

The watchdog, which can recommend a period of gardening leave between jobs for departing civil servants and former MPs, has no power to block appointments.

However, the Labour Party confirmed that it will follow Acoba’s recommendations.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “Keir Starmer is delighted she is hoping to join our preparations for government and our mission.”

Sir Keir has previously admitted to knowing Ms Gray personally during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions when the two worked together in Whitehall.