When it comes to Partygate, there are no Gray areas

Sue Gray reported the facts. The Tories are shooting themselves in the foot by kicking off about her working for Labour.

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How many civil servants achieve actual public name recognition? Not many. If asked to name a famous civil servant, I’m willing to bet more people - even many years after Yes Prime Minister went off the air - would name Sir Humphrey Appleby than a senior bod in a current ministry. Simon Case might get a mention - unlikely to be a favourable one. Perhaps a few political obsessives might opt for Jonathan Powell. But it’s very rare that we know who civil servants are.

That isn’t true of Sue Gray. Last year, her name was on everyone’s lips. ‘Waiting for Sue Gray’ was a national obsession. And her report on Partygate was clinical, factual and damning.

I admit that when it was first confirmed that Gray was going to be Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff, I was nervous about the backlash. I worried that it would make the investigations into Partygate look partisan. But I think I was wrong (not often you hear someone who opines for a living say that!).