NI government failed to be proactive in Covid pandemic, Sue Gray tells inquiry

Former civil servant who investigated Partygate says power-sharing executive was prone to ‘silo working’ and leaks

Northern Ireland’s government lacked cohesion and failed to be proactive during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Sue Gray, the former senior civil servant who investigated the Downing Street Partygate scandal.

Gray, who is now Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, said the power-sharing executive at Stormont was prone to “silo working” and leaks that would have been a “terrible thing” if replicated at Westminster.