A FORMER Tory staffer was cut off on live radio as he refused to answer Nick Robinson’s questions about Sue Gray.
Gray is set to become Labour leader Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, prompting anger from Conservatives who are now questioning her impartiality during the partygate investigation.
Alexander Stafford, a former parliamentary aide to Boris Johnson, was speaking to Radio 4 about the appointment on Friday morning – saying the job offer “doesn’t pass the sniff test”.
“Of course it’s dodgy,” he said. “How can somebody who only a matter of months ago condemned one prime minister, then go and work for the Leader of the Opposition in such a close capacity? This really doesn’t pass the sniff test, it really undermines the work that she’s done, undermines the civil service and really puts in question Sir Keir’s complete judgement.”
He claimed it discredits the “partygate allegations” but sidestepped questions on whether Gray herself had anything to do with lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street.
Stafford also declined to say whether there should be a fresh inquiry into Johnson’s decision to allow parties to take place, leading presenter Robinson to end the interview early after growing impatient with Stafford’s refusal to answer his questions.
Robinson told Stafford: “You’re not a regular on the Today programme but we have a habit here where I ask a question and you at least make some appearance of trying to answer the question, rather than simply ignoring it.
“So I’ll ask it again – do you want a fresh inquiry into the partygate allegations?”
As Stafford called for a fresh inquiry into “every aspect of it”, Robinson interrupted him to say: “Well let’s leave the interview there, Mr Stafford. If you’re simply going to ignore the questions, I think we’ll end the interview there.”
