Do you remember when Gray was appointed to produce her report? There was widespread concern that she would come under such pressure from the government that it would turn out to be a whitewash, so senior Tories were falling over themselves to tell us how independent and unimpeachable she was. Gray actually held a reputation in Whitehall for actively limiting potential damage to the Government during internal inquiries and her report, whilst fairly damning of the culture at number 10, wasn't particularly so of Johnson himself. She declined to investigate the 'ABBA party' in Johnson's flat, saying that it would not have been “appropriate or proportionate” to do so. Not the actions of an anti-Tory plotter.
She may be entirely above board. She seems to have a trustworthy reputation. Nevertheless, if Starmer started offering her a senior role before or during the time that she was investigating Partygate, it would at the least be an incredible misjudgement on both their parts. She could not surely be the only suitable candidate for the Labour job.
