Labour denies holding talks with Gray for 'over a year'

Labour has denied claims that top civil servant Sue Gray was involved in talks about taking a job as Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff for more than a year before she was formally offered the role.

- ADAM FORREST

The move to appoint the official, who oversaw the Partygate inquiry into events that took place while Boris Johnson was in No 10, has sparked outrage among Tory allies of the former prime minister, who cried stitch-up.

Labour has insisted that Ms Gray was approached after a vacancy arose in the autumn - long after she had completed her May 2022 Partygate report. But Cabinet Office officials believe that discussions between the party and Ms Gray may have been going on for more than a year, according to The Mail on Sunday.

A government source told the paper: "One of Sue Gray's managers has told Cabinet Office officials that they believe secret contacts with Labour began well before last November [and] may have been going on for over 12 months. It all appears to have been done off the books""