Sue Gray cleared to take up Labour job this autumn

Watchdog says ex-civil servant must wait six months to start job rather than the maximum delay of two years

The former civil servant Sue Gray has been cleared to take up her new role as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff in the autumn after a vetting board rejected calls for her have a much longer gardening leave.

Gray, who led the investigation into Partygate last year, took ministers by surprise with a plan to quit the civil service and work for Labour. The announcement triggered an inquiry and an expectation that restrictions would be placed on when she could take up the role and what she could do.