UK Labour leader Starmer picks 'Partygate' investigator Gray as chief of staff, report says

FILE PHOTO: Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks at an event in London, Britain, February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, has picked senior civil servant Sue Gray as his new chief of staff, Sky News reported on Thursday, as the party prepares for a national election next year.

Gray, who has decades of government experience, came into the national spotlight last year for her damning investigation into the partygate scandal, a series of law-breaking parties at former prime minister Boris Johnson's No. 10 Downing Street office during coronavirus lockdowns.