Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has called for Labour leader Keir Starmer to share his messages with Sue Gray to clarify if there was any bias over Partygate.
The Labour leader has faced questions after it emerged that Gray, who received national prominence for her role investigating lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, will become his chief of staff.
Gray is expected to submit a formal request on Monday to take on the role when she puts in her application to Parliament’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Speaking to GB News, Heaton-Harris told Camilla Tominey today: “I've worked with Sue Gray in my role as Northern Ireland secretary and she's always been completely proper and professional in my dealing.
Chris Heaton-Harris said Sir Keir Starmer should publish his messages
GB News
“Labour politicians, in the past, have raised lots of questions about civil servants who've immediately moved into positions on the other side of the fence.
“So I think the simplest way to solve this situation is for Keir Starmer just to publish all the information or all the messages and stuff they had with Sue Gray at that time.
"The way to clarify this is for Keir Starmer and his team to publish all the interactions between them and Sue Gray at the time."
The MP for Daventry also responded to the leaking of WhatsApp messages between senior figures in Government during lockdown.
Amid suggestions that officials had tried to force Boris Johnson hand as Prime Minister, he said he was "quite sure" his then-boss had been the one in charge.
He said: “There are cross cabinet committees that met virtually all the way through this, all decisions were taken properly.
“All decisions were taken and recorded by civil servants and taken properly.
"So what you're seeing I think is what you've never seen before and you wouldn't be able to see it from a previous pandemic certainly is Matt's thinking at the time behind the scenes and what is going through his head.
Chris Heaton-Harris defended the Government's pandemic response
GB News
“I mean, the government at the time was trying to both protect the NHS, protect British people, protect the economy, and these are unbelievably difficult things.
"I remember the reports that we've had today, this was pre-vaccine when testing was limited.
“We're all human beings in politics. We all have our own opinions.
"So I'm not surprised that people have different opinions.”
