Who is Sue Gray? The Partygate investigator headed for top Labour job

Sue Gray’s probe into law-breaking parties in Downing Street during Boris Johnson’s leadership played a key role in his downfall

Sue Gray, the investigator of lockdown-busting parties in Boris Johnson’s government, looks set to join Labour as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.

The Whitehall veteran quit the Cabinet Office to take on the party political job, prompting criticism by some Tory MPs, who said it throws civil service impartiality into question.

Thrust into the limelight when she took over the probe into coronavirus rule-breaking at No 10 in 2021, Ms Gray went from an influential but little-known arbiter of conduct in government to a household name within months.