No Sue Gray contact during Partygate report, Keir Starmer says

Sir Keir Starmer has said helium had "absolutely nary contact" with Sue Gray arsenic she prepared her study into Covid lockdown gatherings successful Downing Street.

But the Labour person repeatedly declined to accidental erstwhile helium archetypal approached the ex-senior civilian servant astir becoming his main of staff.

Ms Gray, who discontinue her occupation connected Thursday, would "lay that out", helium told LBC.

Some Conservatives, including Boris Johnson, person argued her projected determination undermines her Partygate conclusions.

Ms Gray is owed to archer the authorities appointments watchdog, the Advisory Committee connected Business Appointments (Acoba), connected Monday erstwhile she archetypal had talks astir the main of unit role.

An Acoba spokeswoman told the BBC this was a confidential process and nary connection would beryllium made until a caller occupation was begun, erstwhile its proposal connected an due waiting play would beryllium published.

No timescale for the process was known, she added.

Ms Gray is expected to hold for the watchdog's proposal earlier taking up the position.

During a phone-in connected LBC, Sir Keir said: "I had perfectly nary interaction with Sue Gray during the mentation of her study erstwhile she was penning oregon thing similar that, truthful the full proposition is simply a implicit and utter nonsense."

On erstwhile helium archetypal approached her astir joining his team, helium said: "I've been looking for a main of unit for a small portion now, but Sue volition laic that out, but there's thing improper astatine all.

"Sue Gray is known for her integrity, she's known for her transportation successful government, and those are 2 things that I deliberation are indispensable to an incoming Labour authorities if we get the privilege of being voted successful adjacent year."

He said helium had known her since helium was manager of nationalist prosecutions - a relation helium was successful from 2008-2013 - but she was not a friend.

Sir Keir stressed that the assignment was yet to beryllium finalised, adding "we haven't agreed terms".

Science Secretary Michelle Donelan said determination was "no crushed to believe" Ms Gray was not impartial erstwhile she carried retired her Partygate investigation.

"She was a starring civilian servant who evidently swore and accepted the civilian work codification successful which 1 of those cardinal requirements is impartiality," she told Sky News.

But, Ms Donelan added, the main interest was astir "what process has taken spot for her to get this caller job, person talks taken spot erstwhile perchance they shouldn't have, etc?"

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, shadiness enactment and pensions secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, was repeatedly asked erstwhile Ms Gray was offered the job.

He declined to reply directly, but said Sir Keir had been looking for a caller main of unit for "several weeks" and Ms Gray was "always going to beryllium connected the list". A Labour root said that "'on the list' didn't mean 'in talks'."

Last year, Ms Gray produced a highly-critical report into lockdown gatherings held successful Downing Street portion Mr Johnson was premier minister.

On Friday, helium said radical mightiness present look astatine her study "in a antithetic light".

Mr Johnson is presently facing a antithetic inquiry, tally by a cross-party radical of MPs, into whether helium misled Parliament, erstwhile helium said Covid rules had not been breached successful Downing Street.

In an initial study published connected Friday, the MPs said the grounds they had seen "strongly suggests" Covid regularisation breaches would person been "obvious" to Mr Johnson.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris - a adjacent state of the erstwhile premier curate - told Laura Kuenssberg helium did not judge that Mr Johnson had "knowingly misled Parliament".

Speaking connected Sky News, helium praised Ms Gray arsenic idiosyncratic of "integrity" but urged the Labour person to people each his messages with the erstwhile civilian servant.

"I deliberation Keir tin wide this up successful seconds by saying this is what we talked astir astatine that time, there's thing to spot here."

Senior civilian servants, arsenic good arsenic ministers, are expected to cheque with Acoba astir immoderate employment they privation to instrumentality wrong 2 years of leaving government.

The assemblage tin supply advice, but has nary powerfulness to artifact caller appointments.

Labour has said it would abide by immoderate proposal Acoba makes.

Ms Gray joined the civilian work successful the 1970s and has held a fig of elder positions, including caput of the government's propriety and morals team.