Sue Gray declined to make representations to inquiry into her role with Labour, Dowden says – as it happened

• The government has paused an internal inquiry into Sue Gray’s departure from Whitehall which was widely expected to have concluded that she had broken the civil service code. In a written statement, the Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said the former senior official had not engaged with the investigation into her departure so it would be suspended while the government considered “next steps”. The report was now not expected to be published until after the government’s appointments watchdog decided whether to delay Gray’s start date as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. Gray is prioritising the government’s anti-corruption watchdog investigation into her move to Labour over the Cabinet Office’s, Dave Penman, leader of the FDA union which represents senior Whitehall staff, told Times Radio.

• Pat Cullen, the RCN general secretary, said the union is balloting its members again on strike action. Last time the union organised ballots by individual employment unit, which means some hospital trusts voted to strike and some didn’t. This time the RCN is holding a single ballot across the NHS as a whole.

• Steve Barclay, the health secretary, said no complaints have been raised with him about his treatment of officials. Asked about last week’s Guardian report saying officials from the Department of Health have “raised concerns” about his alleged conduct towards civil servants, Barclay told journalists: “Well, no complaints were raised with me. But it’s important that we work constructively together. I hugely value the work officials within the department do.”

• Survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster are facing a longer wait for justice than hoped after the public inquiry team said it was unlikely to send its report to Rishi Sunak before 2024. The inquiry said: “We shall send the report to the prime minister, as required by our terms of reference, as soon as we can but that will probably not be possible before the beginning of next year.

• “The prime minister will decide when the report will be published and by whom, but we are ready to act quickly if he asks us to publish it, as we think likely.”

• Health unions representing the majority of NHS workers have recommended that a revised pay offer made by the government should be implemented, according to a joint statement from members of the NHS staff council. This means that the NHS staff council is backing the pay deal for nurses, ambulance staff and other non-doctor employees working for the NHS, and that the deal will be implemented.

• James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, risked the wrath of his backbenchers by saying he expects to meet China’s vice-president when he visits the UK for the king’s coronation. Han Zheng, who has been blamed for overseeing a crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong, was recently appointed as president Xi Jinping’s deputy and is set to represent China at the event.

The last government-arranged flight carrying British nationals out of Sudan has arrived back in the UK.

The evacuees arrived at Birmingham airport at 4.58pm on Tuesday after a four-hour, 40-minute flight on a Titan Airways Airbus A321 from Larnaca, Cyprus, having been taken out of Port Sudan on Monday.

They were the last of 2,341 people evacuated by the UK government from Sudan on 28 flights since fighting between the armed forces and a paramilitary force began in the capital, Khartoum, three weeks ago.

They were greeted at Birmingham airport by members of the British Red Cross.

Any Britons left in Sudan have been told to leave through Port Sudan, which has become a hub for several foreign countries organising evacuations, or via land borders into neighbouring countries.

Sue Gray’s focus is the independent advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) and she has “fully cooperated with” them and “given them all the details requested”, sources told the BBC.

A Labour source told Sky News that Sue Gray did cooperate with the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba).

The source said: “Sue Gray has fully cooperated with Acoba, which is the proper process. They have all the relevant details and are the ones who advise on these matters.”

Acoba provides the final judgment on Gray’s departure and is expected to recommend how long she should wait before being allowed to take up the job with Labour.

In his written statement to the House of Commons, Oliver Dowden highlighted sections of the civil service code relating to the political activity of civil servants.

He said: “Section 4.4.9 of the civil service management code sets out that all members of the senior civil service are in the ‘politically restricted’ category, which places further restrictions on their political activity.

“In addition, there is a requirement under the directory of civil service guidance, which underpins the civil service code, that ‘contacts between senior civil servants and leading members of the opposition parties … should … be cleared with … ministers.’

“The impartiality and perceived impartiality of the civil service is constitutionally vital to the conduct of government.”

The Cabinet Office has made a “confidential assessment” to the anti-corruption watchdog and will not provide further information on Sue Gray’s departure “whilst we consider next steps”, Oliver Dowden said.

Here is more from Dowden, who said that due to rules around employee confidentiality, he is “unable at this stage” to provide further details from the inquiry.

The deputy minister confirmed the Cabinet Office has made submissions to the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba), which provides advice on applications from senior civil servants who wish to take up appointments elsewhere, and can recommend a waiting period – something Labour has committed to abide by.

Oliver Dowden has just provided an update on the inquiry and said in a statement to parliament that the process “involved interviewing relevant persons” to establish “further details” on any communication between Sue Gray and Sir Keir Starmer.

However, Gray chose not to speak to the inquiry.

Dowden wrote: “On March 6 2023, Minister for the Cabinet Office and HM Paymaster General announced in reply to an Urgent Question that the Cabinet Office had been asked to look into the circumstances leading to the resignation of Sue Gray, the former Permanent Secretary for the Union and the Constitution and committed to update Parliament as appropriate.

“This process has involved interviewing relevant persons to establish further details on the contact between Ms Gray and the Leader of the Opposition.

“I can update the House that Ms Gray was given the opportunity to make representations as part of this process but chose not to do so.”

Newsnight’s Nicolas Watt has just tweeted on Oliver Dowden’s written ministerial statement on Sue Gray to parliament.

Watt has also posted the two page statement.

The foreign secretary said he is Scotland’s “excellent advocate overseas” after he was accused of “sabotaging” the Scottish economy with his “draconian” rules on foreign trips.

James Cleverly was challenged in the Commons by the SNP foreign affairs spokesman, Drew Hendry, who suggested his new guidance to heads of mission abroad is sabotaging “vital economic activity” north of the border.

Hendry’s comments come after the foreign secretary asked diplomats to take a “strengthened approach” to Scottish ministerial visits, ensuring officials from the UK government are present during meetings with host governments.

Hendry told the Commons: “Scottish government minister Neil Gray MSP, along with agencies SDI (Scottish Development International) and HIE (Highlands and Islands Enterprise), have proved that direct foreign engagement works for Scotland by securing a £300m manufacturing investment for subsea cables in the renewables industry, working with Sumitomo in Osaka.

“It is a game changer that’s been welcomed across the Highlands. So why does the foreign secretary seek to sabotage such vital economic activity by instructing UK diplomatic staff to hinder Scottish government direct engagement?”

Cleverly replied: “The competences of the Scottish government and the reserved position of the UK government are clear. They are absolutely clear.

“And I would say to him and the house that Scotland has an excellent advocate overseas: it’s me.”

2 May 202312.34 EDT

Cullen claims format for new strike ballot will increase chances of RCN members voting for further action

Andrew Sparrow

Pat Cullen, the RCN general secretary, has just given an interview to Radio 4’s PM programme.

Earlier she confirmed that the RCN is balloting its members again on strike action. (See 3.23pm.) Last time the union organised ballots by individual employment unit, which means some hospital trusts voted to strike and some didn’t. This time the RCN is holding a single ballot across the NHS as a whole.

The presenter Evan Davis suggested to Cullen that this would make it less likely for the RCN to get a majority in favour of further strike action. Cullen said the union disagreed. She said that last time many places voted in favour of a strike, but were thwarted because the turnout threshold (50% of members have to take part for a strike ballot to be valid) was not met.

Asked what would happen if the union did not vote for further strike action, Cullen said that would not stop the union campaigning for a better pay rise.

That is all from me for today. My colleague Nadeem Badshah is taking over. He will be here to cover the Sue Gray report, when it finally arrives.