Whitehall’s chief detective prepares to rule on the 10th parties

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When David Cameron first arrived in Downing Street in 2010, waiting officials were scrutinizing the new prime minister and his plans. But one voice said, “I’m sorry, Prime Minister, but you can’t do that.” When Chancellor George Osborne asked who he was, one answered: “Sue Gray.”

In the shadowy world of Whitehall, where most of the top civil servants work anonymously, the 65-year-old stands out as a member of the British permanent state and isn’t afraid to hold top politicians to account.

Boris Johnson turned to Gray last month to investigate allegations about a series of parties violating Covid restrictions – including two Downing Street park parties the prime minister attended.

After Cabinet Secretary Simon Case was forced to step down following reports of a celebratory gathering outside his office, Number 10 was seen by Gray as an obvious and unquestionable replacement.

Sir Oliver Litwin, a former Minister in the Cabinet Office, wrote in his memoirs that over the course of her career, her influence in the British government rivaled that of the Prime Minister.

“It took me exactly two years before I realized who it is that runs Britain. The great United Kingdom is run entirely by a lady named Sue Gray, head of ethics or whatever in the Cabinet Office. Books unless you agree, things don’t happen.”

“The pressure is building, but she’s been here before. Sue will do it completely and do it right

Gray background story details are limited. Early in her civil service career, she held roles in Transportation, Health, and the Department of Work and Pensions, before taking a break in the late 1980s to run a bar with her husband Bill, a Western country and singer, in Newry, Northern Ireland.

She is currently a permanent secretary to the Leveling Up department, but her formidable reputation at Westminster stems from her years as Director General of Fitness and Ethics in the Cabinet Office from 2012 to 2018.

During that time, the BBC referred to her as “the most powerful person you’ve ever heard” as former Chief Secretary to Government Lord Jeremy Heywood described her as “easy to use”, a voice that ministers would love to hear.

In this role, her duties ranged from judging whether MPs had violated codes of ethics, to signing off on the issuance of ministers’ memos, to setting the salaries of special advisers.

Westminster has large scalps that have taken her – including former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green who was forced to resign after the Gray investigations. She also had a role in the resignations of Andrew Mitchell, the former head of the whip, and William Fox, the former Secretary of Defense.

Dave Penman, president of the Food and Drug Administration federation representing senior civil servants, described Gray as “the classic example of a civil servant who, if you could cut in half, would have the words ‘integrity’ and ‘neutrality’ as a rock stick.”

Her critics, however, argue that there is little transparency about her rulings and question what her role as an arbitrator in the British government entails. One former special advisor said, “Su has fallen apart and achieved jobs, but it is never clear who is responsible to him. She is the ultimate incarnation of the Deep State.”

Officials familiar with the Lockdown Parties investigation note that Gray is well aware of the political consequences that could play a crucial role in ending Johnson’s career. Someone said, “She has to tread very carefully, even by her standards.”

Hannah White, deputy director of the Institute for Governmental Research, said Gray may be wary about blaming individuals for parties, whether civil servants or politicians.

“As much as possible, she will stick to the truth. The consequences of her report may be very serious, but she will not come up with Sue Gray’s voice. But she will have to give some indication of who’s gone and the numbers,” she said.

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“If there are allegations that there are politicians, she will have to take her opinion on that.”

While with previous investigations, I reported to the Prime Minister, this investigation is less straightforward as it relates to Johnson personally. The results will be sent to No. 10 and are expected to be announced in some form after that.

But a decision on any political consequences is likely to be taken outside the government if ministers and deputy Conservatives lose confidence in the prime minister.

Penman said Gray would not shirk Johnson if she deemed it necessary. “She will get to the truth, without fear or favour, and put it at the Prime Minister’s door whether he likes it or not, as she has done so many times in her career.”

Some Conservatives urged Gray on Tuesday to speed up her investigation in the wake of leaks about a party on May 20, 2020, and anger growing over Johnson’s involvement. “It needs to hurry, it should be done tonight, tomorrow or the end of the week at the latest. It’s unsustainable to sit on it for a week,” said one of the MPs.

But those in Whitehall close to achieving it said it would take the time. “The pressure is building, but she has been here before. She will do it well and do it right.”

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