Sue Gray accused of holding talks to join Labour while she was advising ... trends now
Sue Gray was advising the Government on the Partygate inquiry into Boris Johnson while holding secret talks about joining Labour, it was claimed last night.
In an extraordinary development, it emerged Ms Gray was approached by Labour in November last year, at least three months before her controversial appointment as Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff became public.
Whitehall sources told the Daily Mail the timeline means she was still advising the Government on the contentious inquiry into Mr Johnson's conduct while secretly talking about moving to Labour HQ.
The former Second Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office's report into potential lockdown breaches at Downing Street was published months earlier.
But the newly unearthed contact with Labour will only further muddy already murky waters engulfing a Commons privileges committee inquiry being decried as a 'witch hunt'.
Controversial appointment: Sue Gray
Legal dossier: Former PM Boris Johnson
One source said: 'Sue's report had obviously been dealt with by November but she was still advising the Government on the privileges committee investigation, specifically on what should be disclosed to them.
'You don't have to be Boris Johnson's biggest fan to think it's a bit dodgy to be secretly speaking to the Leader of the Opposition while still being intimately involved in such a highly sensitive and political matter.'
The claim was disputed by Labour, however Tory MPs last night called for an inquiry into Ms Gray's role.
Mr Johnson will give televised evidence on Wednesday to the committee, which has been investigating claims that he lied to Parliament about lockdown parties in No 10.
His legal team will submit a dossier to the committee today. A spokesman for the former prime minister said: 'The evidence will show that Boris Johnson did not knowingly mislead Parliament.'
Ms Gray led the original probe into lockdown parties at No 10, which was sharply critical of the culture in Whitehall when it was published in May last year.
Committee members have insisted Ms Gray's potential move to Labour is not relevant as she had completed her inquiry.
A Labour source last night insisted that it was 'not correct' to say Ms Gray was still directly advising the Government on Partygate at the time she opened talks with Sir Keir.
The source would not comment on the timing of the talks but claimed there was a 'separate Cabinet Office process' for deciding which information to send to the committee.
Labour leader Keir Starmer delivers his speech at the Welsh Labour Conference
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel said her role needed to be investigated. She
