Boris Johnson allies are furious after Keir Starmer hired Sue Gray – 23 favourite responses
Allies of former prime minister Boris Johnson were furious today after Sue Gray, who led the initial Partygate inquiry, was hired by Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Gray, a hugely-respected long-standing civil servant, will be Starmer’s new chief of staff, and people like Jacob Rees-Mogg are suggesting it undermines the entire Partygate investigation AKA gets law-breaking Johnson (and everyone else) off the hook.
So much for an impartial Civil Service, the Gray report now looks like a left wing stitch up against a Tory Prime Minister.https://t.co/fvdN2JxXm0
— Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) March 2, 2023
And when we say people like Jacob Rees-Mogg, we mean Nadine Dorries.
Sue Gray move to Starmers office not surprising. Whilst writing report, she used QC who tweeted out pro Labour anti gov tweets whilst Alistair Campbell heaped praise upon her. Her comms assistant briefed against Johnson from day 1. The Gray report was a stitch up of PM and CSs
— Rt Hon Nadine Dorries MP (@NadineDorries) March 2, 2023
And the Daily Mail, obviously.
But the idea that Starmer was behind the entirety of Partygate all along – possibly with the aid of a Face/Off style phizog swap with Boris Johnson – got entirely the thrift it deserved.
These 23 responses surely say it all.
1.
Bloody hell – Keir Starmer is a genius.
He orchestrated parties in Downing Street, ensured Johnson and Case were both present, made sure journos found out about them and that an inquiry was launched and that Johnson would eventually ask Sue Gray to lead it.
All from opposition pic.twitter.com/XoGARcfqqQ— Siobhan Benita 🇺🇦🌻 (@SiobhanBenita) March 3, 2023
2.
Can’t believe it was Sue Gray behind all the shagging, puking, lying, wine fridges. swing-breaking & boozing all along!
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) March 3, 2023
3.
Your occasional reminder that Sue Gray only did the Partygate inquiry because Simon Case had to pull out because he'd been accused of having one of the bloody parties in his office.
She was appointed to the probe by – that's right folks – Boris Johnson.
— Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) March 2, 2023
4.
"I know Sue Gray will be thorough and professional about her work… She is professional and formidable… She is known to be independent" – Nadine Dorries, January 2022. https://t.co/2ej26yE5cj
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) March 2, 2023
5.
It is theoretically possible I suppose that Keir Starmer is that much of a fiendish genius – a politician Moriarty – but somehow I doubt it pic.twitter.com/CEHSi4mnuC
— Robert Peston (@Peston) March 2, 2023
6.
so what happened is Keir Starmer wore a Mission: Impossible style face mask to pose as Boris Johnson & staged photos of parties using the same film studio where they faked the Moon landings pic.twitter.com/qDtbDb5c8Y
— Toby Earle 🇺🇦 Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) March 3, 2023
7.
Enough with the confected outrage about Sue Gray. When I was a publisher I had many dealings with her. I and everyone she has ever worked with regard her as a woman of total integrity. Exactly the sort of person who'd make a fantastic chief of staff. Starmer has made a good appt. pic.twitter.com/nT1ByZsfD4
— Iain Dale (@IainDale) March 2, 2023
8.
Johnson trying to explain how Starmer actually made him go to a bunch of illegal lockdown parties pic.twitter.com/W10TlzfFG5
— Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO) March 3, 2023
9.
The cleverest bit of this plot was Keir Starmer persuading Boris Johnson to host a series of lockdown-busting parties. pic.twitter.com/tHLzVpfPGw
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) March 2, 2023
10.
Weird that I don’t remember JRM complaining about a right-wing stitch up when David Frost stopped being a civil servant advising the government and became a Tory minister in the Lords instead. But maybe that’s different. https://t.co/Ge0rCDr6dW
— Jon Sopel (@jonsopel) March 2, 2023
11.
Will Sue Gray have a leaving party?
— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) March 2, 2023
12.
Tories kicking off about Sue Gray…
Despite them appointing their school pals, banker chums, clandestine lovers and even siblings into senior roles
Cry me a river, morons.
— Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) March 2, 2023