Lee Anderson has waded into the ongoing Labor cronyism scandal, which has seen the PM accused of offering cash for jobs just months after pledging to clean up politics.
Multiple revelations have emerged over the past week of former Labor figures and donors being given plum Whitehall roles.
They include former donor Ian Corfield who has been given a highly-paid job in the Treasury, a former director of Labor Together being appointed to the Cabinet Office, and two Labor aides being appointed to the Department for Housing.
Amid allegations of cronyism, Lee Anderson has now accused Labor of attempting to “stitch up” the machinery of government.
He blasted: “Despite having the largest majority in living memory it would appear that Sir Keir Starmer wants to totally stitch up the way he runs our country.”
“Putting his mates into high ranking civil service jobs will ensure there is no push back on Labour's plans to totally ruin our country. We've already seen them reject the idea of having Reform MPs on Select Committees and now we see another assault on our democracy,
“The simple fact is that Labor has no interest in the core value of Britain's impartial civil service.”
Reform UK also described the appointments as “looting of the public purse for partisan advantage”.
The row has sparked fury among opposition parties, with the Tories writing to the Civil Service Commission demanding an investigation into the appointments.
Shadow Paymaster General John Glen formally submitted a complaint under Gordon Brown's Constitutional Reform and Governance Act last Sunday.
In his letter Mr Glen fumed: “It is the norm for political staff to be appointed in a new administration as special advisers, who are temporary civil servants. Special advisers can help prevent the politicization of the wider Civil Service, by being exempt from the Civil Service Code's provisions on political impartiality.”
“But I understand that the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff has personally blocked a number of special adviser appointments; I am concerned that this may have led to Ministers trying to circumvent the rules by appointing such political advisers as normal civil servants, which do not require 10 Downing Street's approval.
“It is not clear why other suitable appointees could not have been considered for these posts, especially given the extant policy that all Senior Civil Service vacancies should be externally advertised. There will also be a wealth of talent with the existing Civil Service.
“I fear that these are not isolated cases, and risks a wider pattern of the politicization of the Civil Service staffing and communications under this Administration.”
Former Michael Gove advisor Henry Newman has been leading the investigation into the so-called crony appointments, via his new outfit Whitehall Watch.
Reacting to news that a Labor activist had been appointed to the top Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics directorate, Mr Newman said that appointment in particular is “quite extraordinary” and “troubling”.
He warned: “I don't think anything like this has been done before.”
“Nobody who had worked for a conservative organization was brought into a senior role in the Propriety and Ethics team (now called Propriety and Constitution).
“This team is in charge of “policing” Whitehall's rules. They are literally the Guardians who guard the guardians.”
Lord Frost blasted: “It would be a truly shocking, amazing appointment, and would destroy what confidence there remains in PET.”
“Remember, Ministers are not allowed to see the papers of a previous government. The same does not apply to (in this case) so-called civil servants.”