Sir Keir Starmer’s ex-top aide Sue Gray was drawn into the row over past bullying claims against new Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo on Saturday.
Sources told The Mail on Sunday that Baroness Gray, then Cabinet Office director general of propriety and ethics, had a key role in clearing Dame Antonia of any blame.
They insisted that Lady Gray, who later became Sir Keir’s chief of staff in Opposition and in No 10, formed part of the process which dealt with bullying claims against the high-flying civil servant in 2017.
In a move which has reportedly prompted dismay among some ex-colleagues, Dame Antonia was last week confirmed as the first woman to lead the civil service.
She took over as Cabinet Secretary from Sir Chris Wormald, who was allegedly forced out by the PM after barely a year in post.
Sir Keir hailed her ‘determination to get things done’ while Labour grandee Harriet Harman said the move would help dissolve the clique of Downing Street male advisers and aides.
However, Dame Antonia’s appointment has been mired in controversy over bullying allegations from her time as British Consul-General in New York in 2016 and 2017.
The Foreign Office is reported to have concluded that there was a serious case to answer, only for the allegations – apparently made by several colleagues but formed into one formal complaint – to be rejected by the Cabinet Office.
Neil O’Brien, Tory MP and shadow minister, has questioned whether her appointment was properly vetted in the wake of warnings by Sir Simon McDonald, former Foreign Office permanent secretary, that ‘more due diligence’ was needed before she was offered the job.
Allies of Dame Antonia have accused her critics of misogyny and insisted that she was best person for the job.
On Saturday, the Cabinet Office said it was ‘categorically untrue’ to say that Lady Gray had made the decision to clear Dame Antonia, but declined to say if she had been involved in the inquiry.
A spokesman said Dame Antonia’s appointment as Cabinet Secretary ‘followed an enhanced due diligence process’.
Lady Gray, who became a Labour peer in February last year, could not be reached for comment.
But on Saturday, Mr O’Brien said: ‘As the then head of propriety and ethics at the Cabinet Office, it beggars belief that Sue Gray wasn’t involved in this decision.
‘The Cabinet Office should stop avoiding answers over this issue and give us the facts.’
