Britain’s Conservative government announced on Monday that it was investigating the “circumstances” in which Sue Gray, the senior official who prepared Downing Street’s report on the pandemic, resigned to take a seat in the opposition Labor Party.
The signature of one of the most senior public administration officials from the first opposition party is “unheard of”, said in the House of Commons the Secretary of State for the Cabinet, Jeremy Quin, who revealed the code that would govern the work of officials. demands “incompetence.”
Gray, 64, became public last year when he launched an inquiry into controversial illegal Downing Street celebrations, so-called “Partygate”, which led to the resignation of former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“The instillation and perception of the severity of the body of civil servants is reasonably vital to the conduct of government,” said Quin, who stated that he understood “why some members of this chamber expressed concern” in this matter.
Conservative deputy Robert Buckland, a former justice minister, who led a parliamentary debate on Monday with an urgent question about Gray’s decision, ordered the executive to defend public administration fairness.
The Secretary of State confirmed that the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), with the ability to recommend which office positions high officials of the State can take, has not yet ruled in the Gray case.
“I trust the Labor Party will follow ACOBA’s recommendations. Otherwise, they would cast even more doubt on their credibility,” Quin said.
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of Labor, indicated that for her part, Gray is “a high-level civil servant for his integrity and dedication to public service”, who decided to “join a party that has a true plan for the Kingdom of Great Britain.”.
Rayner accused those who expressed doubts about Gray’s integrity of spreading “conspiracy theories.”
“What are they going to look for now, a debate in Westminster Hall on a trip to the moon, a law to drain water from Loch Ness or a public inquiry to find out if the earth is flat?” Labor declared.
According to the polls, the main opposition party holds a solid lead to seize power in the upcoming UK general elections, which are approaching the end of next year.
