Labour’s denials over the Sue Gray scandal are pathetic

LABOUR’S denials over the Sue Gray scandal are blown apart.

And their pathetic attempt to downplay it will not fly either.

Of course the cost of living is the biggest concern for voters.

But the public is perfectly capable of caring about more than one issue . . . and does so.

We now know that, despite Keir Starmer’s bluster, Gray WAS secretly negotiating to become his chief of staff last November while simultaneously acting the “impartial” civil servant in the thick of the Privileges Committee’s Partygate probe into Boris Johnson.

That stinks.

It was a staggering misjudgment to talk to Labour about a job at that time.

So is refusing now to speak to the Cabinet Office inquiry.

Starmer’s offence is even greater.

What was the “forensic” lawyer thinking, tapping up an official playing the pivotal and supposedly neutral role in a major investigation into the Tory PM, from which Labour stood to profit politically?

How could either imagine this bone-headed intervention was OK?

Labour claims the outrage is confected. Rubbish.

They are simply panicked by voters increasingly taking a dim view of Starmer’s U-turns, broken promises and multiple misjudgments.

This is another grievous addition to his evidence file.

RED SCARE

IT is a crying shame Vladimir Putin wasn’t at home for the drone attack.

Then again, he may have ordered it himself as a ruse to blame Ukraine.

Either that or dissident Russians opposed to his war tried to take him out.

The least likely story is that Ukraine did it. They certainly deny it.

Whatever the truth, Putin will use it as an excuse to unleash new hell.

And while we doubt even his global allies would tolerate him nuking Ukraine, is he even remotely sane any more?

He is being advised by a conspiracy loon who believes America wants to invade Siberia to escape a volcanic apocalypse at Yellowstone National Park.

These are stark, raving madmen.

PACKET IN

HAS George Osborne lost his marbles?

The ex-Chancellor’s sugar tax failed to cut obesity.

Now he also wants to ­hammer orange juice, that infamously fattening and unhealthy drink.

The nanny state zealots never will be satisfied.

And indeed George has a further idea even barmier: Outlaw smoking.

You might not mind that. But who would enforce it?

The same cops who have given up nicking cannabis-smokers, not to mention muggers or burglars?

Only a clown country would have police ignore actual villains to collar smokers instead — while creating a monstrous black market where crime gangs make billions flogging cigarettes.

We fear for George.

Has watching his beloved Chelsea tipped him over the edge,