Partygate buster Sue Gray’s son ‘boasting about mum on campaign trail as he tries to unseat Boris Johnson’
SUE Gray’s son has been boasting about his mother’s role in Partygate as he leads the charge to try to oust Boris Johnson from his seat, it has been claimed.
Labour activist Liam Conlon has been campaigning for the party’s candidate Danny Beales in Mr Johnson’s Uxbridge seat in West London.
As the fierce battle for the seat heats up, Mr Conlon has allegedly been telling other activists about his mother’s work on Partygate.
One Labour insider told The Sun on Sunday: “Sue Gray’s son has been out on the campaign trail trying to unseat Boris.
“Apparently he was boasting to activists on the doorstep saying he was her son, that she had carried out the Partygate probe, and that he is being groomed for a safe Labour seat.”
Mr Conlon denies the claim — insisting it is untrue in every regard.
But it will pile more pressure on Ms Gray, whose political allegiances came under fierce scrutiny this week when she quit her senior civil service role to become Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
Mr Conlon is chairman of the Labour Party Irish Society.
Last month, he posted a montage of snaps of himself campaigning in Uxbridge, writing: “Another great Labour Irish Campaign Day — this time with Labour students for the brilliant Danny Beales in Uxbridge!
“Lots of support here for Danny & Labour. A huge thanks to Labour Irish members and everyone who joined!”
Mr Beales is a Labour councillor in Sir Keir’s stamping ground of Camden in North London.
Last night, Mr Johnson’s camp said The Sun on Sunday’s report shattered Ms Gray’s claims she was independent when she investigated Partygate.
Her damning conclusions about a series of gatherings in Downing Street in lockdown contributed to Mr Johnson’s exit.
They were also referred to in an investigation by a committee of MPs which this week suggested that he repeatedly misled Parliament.
A source close to the former PM said: “These revelations show Sue Gray to be utterly biased against Boris Johnson.
“The privileges committee evidence is now utterly discredited as is her report.
“There should be an urgent investigation into civil service impartiality in this matter.”
Shockwaves were sent through Westminster earlier this week when Ms Gray announced she had taken a job as Sir Keir’s chief of staff.
Just a year ago she had carried out the Partygate investigation which helped force Mr Johnson out of No 10.
Tory MPs are now demanding Ms Gray come clean on the full extent of her ties with Labour.
Writing in The Sun on Sunday, former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “Sue Gray has picked up a hammer and smashed the idea of an independent civil service to smithereens.
“In one act she has destroyed the trust which allowed ministers to believe that, in spite of their personal views, Whitehall mandarins could be relied upon to be impartial.”
Another Tory MP, Alex Stafford, said: “There is clearly something very dodgy about all of this.
“Seeing her son campaign to get rid of Boris shows once again why we need to know exactly when Keir Starmer and Sue Gray spoke about her becoming his chief of staff.”
Conservative MP Lia Nici said: “This smacks of civil service stitch-up.”
But defiant Labour has hit back at any claims of wrongdoing.
A party source said: “Danny Beales is leading the charge against Boris Johnson as Labour’s candidate in Uxbridge.
“You’ll see from Liam’s Twitter he’s been out campaigning in a number of seats. Liam is chair of the Labour Party Irish Society.
“Danny is a member of the Labour Party Irish Society and so Labour Irish organised a campaign day to support him.
“This is what the society does all the time, going round and campaigning with members who are candidates.”
In its interim report published on Friday, the privileges committee said it would have been obvious to Mr Johnson there was lockdown rule-breaking in Downing Street.
The former PM will be grilled by the committee in person later this month.
But Mr Johnson insists he has been vindicated by its early findings, claiming: “There is no evidence in the report that I knowingly or recklessly misled parliament, or that I failed to update parliament in a timely manner.”
He claims the privileges committee report is “utterly discredited” as it uses evidence “orchestrated by Sue Gray”.
Ms Gray, in her mid-60s, joined the civil service straight from school rising to become Second Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet.
She is of Irish heritage and married to country singer Bill Conlon, with whom she took a career break in the 1980s so they could run a bar in his native Northern Ireland.
As one of Britain’s most senior civil servants, she was expected to be impartial and politically neutral.
Her decision to work for Sir Keir has raised questions about her independence.
Labour and Ms Gray have refused to say how long they have been talking about the job offer.
Tory MPs believe she should be blocked from taking up the role.
Ms Gray’s appointment is being assessed by the civil service watchdog Acoba.
It can recommend she has a period of gardening leave of between three months and two years before taking up any new position.
It can urge her not to take the job — but has no power to stop her.
No 10 says Rishi Sunak cannot unilaterally block Ms Gray taking the job but could call for a longer waiting period before she takes up the role.