What is the row over the Sue Gray report all about? 

Welcome to Wednesday’s Early Edition from i.

Her name has been synonymous with integrity and principle. “The ultimate professional”, Bob Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, says. “Someone of unimpeachable integrity,” Tory MP, Andrew Mitchell, described her. But now the reputation of Sue Gray has been called into question, amid accusations she has refused to cooperate with the internal inquiry into her job with Labour. Jacob Rees-Mogg told i: “It is puzzling, Sue has decided to sabotage her own reputation. As I worked with her a little, I think it is as sad as it is improper.” The outcome of the Cabinet Office inquiry, which has been submitted to the Whitehall watchdog conducting its own review, was expected to be published yesterday. Now it looks likely to be delayed, or possibly never emerge at all. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said the Government will now “consider next steps” after Ms Gray “chose not to” speak to the investigation. What is going on, and is it all as it seems? We’ll take a look after the headlines.

 Today’s news, and why it matters

 Health unions have warned of an escalation in walkouts to hit hospitals and emergency services later this year, despite a 5 per cent pay deal that could pave the way for an end to NHS strikes. Trusts are said to be “breathing a sigh of relief” over the outcome of the pay deal, hoping it will bring an end to “the most disruptive period of industrial action in NHS history”. But Unite has vowed to escalate strike action in light of it, saying the deal “will not solve the huge issues surrounding understaffing that are destroying the NHS”.

An angling coach has described playing “sewage roulette” with his life every time he gets in the rivers around Greater Manchester because they are so polluted with human excrement, rats and bathroom waste. Andy Beeman, a fishing guide from Leigh, told i: “I see everything from raw sewage or faeces to sanitary towels, wet wipes and toilet paper, as well as syringes and needles. In some streams in the Leigh area, there are thousands of sanitary towels washed out of drains. And when the rivers have flooded they’re all over the river bank.”

Sudanese nationals who applied for UK visas are trapped in the country after the British embassy failed to return their passports before withdrawing staff from the conflict zone. Families desperate to leave the country say they may be left with no choice but to make the perilous journey to the Egyptian border.

Striking teachers are contemplating leaving the UK – and in some cases the profession completely – for better pay as their dispute with the Government worsens. Elizabeth, a secondary school teacher who has been in the profession for nine years, told i: “So many teachers are leaving. It’s not a very attractive profession any more and that puts a lot of pressure on all the other teachers and the classes. It doesn’t allow the children to reach their full potential.”

A nurse wept as she told a jury she feels “devastated” at being accused of killing babies in her care and that she finds the allegations “sickening”. Lucy Letby, 33, was called to give evidence for the first time during her trial at Manchester Crown Court where she denies murdering seven children and attempting to murder a further 10.

Downing Street has urged Fifa and broadcasters to avert a threatened TV blackout that could see the Women’s World Cup kept off of screens in the UK this summer. Outspoken Fifa president Gianni Infantino says the low sums offered by European broadcasters for the rights to women’s football tournaments are a “slap in the face” compared to the men’s game and undercut efforts towards equal pay.

Five questions over the Sue Gray report row:

Why didn’t she talk to officials? Yesterday, Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said Sue Gray had chosen not to engage with officials over the inquiry, which is looking into whether she broke the civil service code by accepting a job with Labour while she was still working in Whitehall. “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,” he said. “In order to maintain confidentiality towards an individual former employee, I am unable at this stage to provide further information relating to the departure of Ms Gray whilst we consider next steps.” Sir Keir Starmer had previously promised that Ms Gray would explain the full circumstances of her dealings with Labour. Asked when Ms Gray first spoke to his party, Sir Keir said in March: “That’s going to be laid out by Sue, she’s got to do that as part of her leaving procedure.” Yesterday’s accusations have caused uproar among Tories. One Whitehall source told i: “She would have gone tonto against someone who refused to comply with one of her investigations.” But last night Labour maintained that Ms Gray had fully co-operated with the official process, referring to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which will in due course recommend how long Ms Gray must wait before starting her new role. The Times reported that Ms Gray refused to participate amid concerns that it was a “political gimmick”. ITV’s Robert Peston shed more light on the situation, suggesting that yesterday’s developments were the result of a “fair old government cock-up”. He tweeted that Ms Gray “suspended co-operation with the Cabinet Office investigation into the circumstances of her departure because she found out the investigation was already using info – on dates of her meetings with Starmer etc – that she had supplied to ACOBA via the Cabinet Office”. He continued: “She viewed this, understandably, as a breach of process and confidentiality. Gray’s views were, I understand, relayed to the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, who agreed with her. Which is why it was impossible for Dowden to publish a report … on whether she breached the civil service code, in spite of weekend briefings that publication was imminent.”

What happens if she is found to have broken the rules? The Acoba review is still underway, but it could recommend that Ms Gray waits before taking up her role with Labour – a time period that could range from anywhere between three months to two years. Some reports suggest that the Cabinet Office investigation has been unable to support the claim the code was broken, with some describing it as “flimsy”. Hugo Gye writes that “if – as seems almost certain – Ms Gray did open discussions with Sir Keir’s team while still employed by the Civil Service, and failed to tell her bosses, it is a clear breach of the rules.” But whatever the outcome of the inquiry, another blow may have been dealt – one to “the idea that she represented an ideal of doing government by the book.”

Could Rishi Sunak intervene? Once the watchdog makes its recommendation, Rishi Sunak will make the final ruling, although neither he nor Acoba have the power to block an appointment. Baroness Angela Browning, a former Acoba chairwoman, said she would be “very surprised” if a prime minister challenged the advice, a move that would trigger “an almighty row”.

What questions has the row raised for Simon Case? The Cabinet Secretary is facing growing pressure over whether he should stay in his job of leading the civil service. On Tuesday he was accused of taking a hard line against Sue Gray to “please the Tories” and the PM. The Cabinet Secretary is understood to have been instrumental in recommending Ms Gray be prevented from taking up a role working with the Labour Party until next year. An ex-No 10 official told i: “He’s a vulnerable man, who knows he got the gig on luck and that most of his colleagues don’t respect him. His only hope is to double down on the courtier approach. He’s just trying to please the Tories.” A Labour shadow minister also criticised Mr Case’s handling of the Gray inquiry, adding: “It’s clear there has been trouble at the top of the Civil Service for some time.”

Is it all a distraction? The Cabinet Office’s own report into Sue Gray’s job with Labour has been labelled as a diversion, a political gimmick, and one that aims to sow discord before the local elections. Labour officials have previously accused the Government of deliberately timing the release of the statement on Ms Gray in order to stir up the issue ahead of the 4 May poll. A Labour source said: “Voters care about the cost of living, not what’s happening with a former civil servant. Using Parliament to come up with some sort of gimmick around Sue Gray isn’t going to work.” Dave Penman of the FDA union told Times Radio: “Sue has a right not to take part in an investigation that’s being conducted under, I think, rather less clear processes. Really what she’s concentrating on is Acoba and supplying them with information… Acoba is really the real deal when it comes to this and who’s going to make a decision.” Sir Keir said: “The Government is trying to resurrect a story about Sue Gray, maybe because they don’t want to talk about the cost of living crisis, which actually is the thing that most people are most concerned about.” Jonathan Powell, who moved from the Foreign Office to work for Tony Blair in the 1990s, said: “Anyone who applies for a new job knows you have to talk to the people you’re going to get the job at before you actually take the job. That seems to me self-evident. So that’s what I did. No-one actually made any fuss about me switching from the British Foreign Office into the role of chief of staff to the leader of the opposition. So I think today has really been a complete diversion and the real thing is Acoba. And I’m not surprised she didn’t cooperate with it, it’s not appropriate at all.”

Around the world

 More than 20 Russian mercenary groups, some with links to senior politicians and even the Kremlin-supporting Orthodox church, have been deployed in Ukraine to bolster Moscow’s faltering military campaign, according to a new study. The number of so-called “private military companies” operating out of Russia has proliferated since Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 as the Kremlin increasingly relies on mercenary groups as a key tool of its war.

The US is facing an epidemic of loneliness that could be as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, a top health official has warned. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told the BBC loneliness is a “profound public health challenge” that “we should talk about” and address.

Human remains have been found in a crocodile after a fisherman went missing in Far North Queensland, Australia. Police said an examination found remains inside one of the reptiles, but wildlife officers believed two crocodiles were involved in the incident.

Chatbots pretending to be journalists have been discovered running 49 AI-generated “content farms” churning out articles on politics, health, finance and tech, an investigation has found. “Some of the content advances false narratives. Nearly all of the content features bland language and repetitive phrases, hallmarks of artificial intelligence,” Newsguard’s McKenzie Sadeghi and Lorenzo Arvanitis said.

The sight of Parisians taking a dip in the Seine has been reserved for those admiring 19th Century paintings of the famous river. But bathing in the French capital looks to be on the cards again, after a €1.4 billion effort to rid it of bacteria and pollution before next year’s Olympics.

 Watch out for…

 Donald Trump, who is being interviewed with Nigel Farage on GB News tonight. 

 Thoughts for the day

 If your sympathy for NHS staff is waning, listen to the people I spoke to this week. The danger is sympathy fatigue. That would fit in nicely with the Government’s cunning plan, writes Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

BP’s bumper profits prove the Tories are again failing to get a grip on Big Oil. As ordinary Brits struggle to pay for basics, Rishi Sunak is repeating Margaret Thatcher’s mistake of squandering income from the North Sea, says Paul Waugh.

The way people split the bill can tell you a lot about how they view friendship. Line-splitting a bill is my biggest friendship ick, reveals Poorna Bell.

Culture Break

 The Met Gala isn’t about fashion – it’s about gawping at unhinged celebrities. At this year’s event authenticity is out and excess is firmly in, writes Emily Bootle.

The Big Read

 Meet the teenage Tories the party has turned to after exodus of alienated activists. Some Conservatives believe the party may have a secret weapon at the local election. ‘All of a sudden out of nowhere we’ve just got loads of young supporters,’ says one MP.

Sport

 Arsenal rekindle their Premier League title ambitions but Chelsea’s future is far less promising. The title-chasing Gunners bounced back from a run of four winless matches by breezing to victory against their hapless London rivals, writes Sam Cunningham.

Something to brighten your day

 Science is beginning to show that ultra-processed foods can hack our brains like smoking or drugs. Dr Chris Van Tulleken has written about how he was addicted to UPFs, and how he managed to quit them. He explains to Kasia Delgado how to step away from the chicken nugget.