Former senior official Sue Gray broke Civil Service rules by taking part in discussions about a top job in the Labour Party, a Cabinet Office investigation has found.
The Partygate investigator did not declare meeting with Sir Keir Starmer in breach of the standards of behaviour set out for civil servants, according to the probe.
The Civil Service Code was “prima facie broken as a result of the undeclared contact”, Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin said in a written ministerial statement on Monday.
“I can now confirm that the Cabinet Office process looking into the circumstances leading up to Ms Gray’s resignation has been concluded,” he said.
“As part of the process, Ms Gray was given the opportunity to make representations but chose not to do so.
“This process, led by the Civil Service, found that the Civil Service code was prima facie broken as a result of the undeclared contact between Ms Gray and the Leader of the Opposition.
“The rules and guidance that govern the conduct of civil servants are clear and transparent. It is deeply unfortunate that events have transpired in this way.”
Parliament's appointments advisory body has ruled Ms Gray can start her new role as Sir Keir's chief of staff in September, six months after quitting as a senior civil servant in March.
The anti-corruption watchdog said it had seen “no evidence” that her decision making or impartiality was “impaired” while serving in Whitehall.
Labour has said Ms Gray had just one phone call with Sir Keir before she resigned in March. The conversation did not relate to any government business, the party said.
However, some Tory MPs have expressed anger that she was offered a job in the Labour leader's office, arguing it undermined the impartiality of her inquiry into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street and across Whitehall.
Her report into Covid rule breaking prompted numerous MPs to call for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation.
