Above is the current Sue Gray timeline of events, according to what is in the public domain and based on what Labour would have everyone believe about what has emerged over the last few days. Labour are still standing by the line that they had no contact at all with Gray during Partygate, and she had nothing to do with the Propriety and Ethics team’s response to Harriet Harman and the Privileges Committee’s Partygate probe late last year. This defence is now looking increasingly ridiculous…

Here’s a brief summary:

• Gray’s Partygate investigation was published in May 2022. That month, Guido published a photo showing Gray and her son Liam Conlin – now reportedly looking to stand as a Labour Party candidate – meeting Labour politicians in Parliament. A “very p*ssed off” Gray then briefed the Times claiming it was “absolute crap” that she’s “a Labour person”…
• In October 2022, Starmer sacked his Chief of Staff Sam White, with the Guardian reporting Labour were moving to an “election footing“. Sam Coates reported yesterday that Labour’s Director of Communications Matthew Doyle is insisting this is the point at which Labour first approach Gray about the job. At least four months before the offer is made public…
• In November 2022, Gray was included in “ministerial-level discussions about how to respond to requests for evidence” from the Privileges Committee regarding Partygate, according to The Sun. This directly contradicts Labour’s quote to PA on Tuesday that “Sue Gray was not working in [the Propriety and Ethics] team” at the time. She also still had an email address marked “Gray, Sue – Cabinet Office – (OFFICIAL)” despite the claim she was, at this point, already working exclusively in the Levelling Up Department.
• In January 2023, Gray suggested a candidate for a £110,000 a year public appointment – again, despite claims by some that she had already left the Cabinet Office’s Propriety and Ethics team. By this point she had already been negotiating with Starmer for three months, even by Labour’s own admission…
• In March 2023, Sue Gray resigned from the Civil Service and was revealed as Starmer’s choice for Chief of Staff. LBC’s Nick Ferrari asked Starmer when he first made contact with Gray. He gave no clear answer, and eventually said “nothing improper” had taken place. Watch him squirm:

Labour’s narrative has imploded, by Matthew Doyle’s own admission. Gray was clearly still intimately involved in the Cabinet Office’s Propriety and Ethics team – and therefore advising Ministers on responding to the Privileges Committee – months after she had already begun talks with Labour. In that same interview with Nick Ferrari, Starmer also admits he’s known Sue Gray for a long time and had a good professional relationship with her. Guido has a bridge to sell to anyone who still believes she had no contact with Labour until October 2022…