Sue Gray, the author of the partygate report into lockdown breaches in Downing Street, is set to be appointed Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
The veteran civil servant stepped down as second permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office on Thursday.
Gray is best known for her damning inquiry which blamed “senior leadership” at the top of Boris Johnson’s government for allowing lockdown-busting parties.
She concluded the behaviour of those involved “fell well short” of the standards the public expected of those running the country.
The report, released in May 2022, contributed to Johnson’s downfall as Tory MPs turned against him amid plummeting poll ratings.
A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party has offered Sue Gray the role of chief of staff to the Leader of the Opposition.
“We understand she hopes to accept the role subject to the normal procedures. Keir Starmer is delighted she is hoping to join our preparations for government and our mission to build a better Britain.”
Johnson was fined by police for one of the events he attended. But speaking in London today the former prime minister said he did not “understand the rationale behind” the penalty.
Starmer’s previous chief of staff, Sam White, left the post in October last year as Labour was put on an “election footing”.
Gray’s appointment ha been compared to Tony Blair’s decision to hire Jonathan Powell, a veteran diplomat, as his chief of staff before Labour won power in 1997.
Labour has been out of power since 2010 and few of its top team - including Starmer himself - have experience of government.