Keir Starmer squirmed today as he was grilled over why his ousted top aide Sue Gray missed a ‘nations and regions’ summit.
The PM refused to engage with repeated questions over why his former chief of staff did not take part in the ‘really important’ event in Edinburgh.
Ms Gray dramatically left the top job last weekend after months of infighting as the PM switched her to be his envoy to the UK’s devolved institutions.
Ministers have insisted she is ‘taking a break’ and has ‘been through a lot’.
However, doubts have been raised over whether she will ever assume the duties amid claims she is demanding a better severance package and salary.
Pressed on whether he was embarrassed Ms Gray had not been at the gathering, Sir Keir told broadcasters: ‘We’ve just had the first meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions.
‘I’ve had every First Minister here, the Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland, and all the mayors from across England.
‘We’ve had a really constructive discussion about economic growth, about jobs, about investment, and even today, we’ve had a further announcement of £24 billion investment in the United Kingdom.
‘I set out when we won that election, to change the country for the better, to stabilize the economy, and these investments that are coming in… they’re a drumbeat into our Investment Summit.’
Keir Starmer refused to engage with repeated questions over why his former chief of staff did not take part in the ‘really important’ event in Edinburgh
Ms Gray dramatically left the top job last weekend after months of infighting as the PM switched her to be his envoy to the UK’s devolved institutions
Asked why Ms Gray was not present, he said: ‘For everybody listening and watching this, who’s concerned to know, is there going to be investment in my region? Are there going to be jobs where I live? The answer is, today, we’ve got a long way down the road of collaborating to that end.’
Asked whether he would approve Ms Gray’s severance pay, the Prime Minister repeated that ‘we’ve had a really important meeting today’.
Asked in a round of interviews this morning why she Ms Gray was not going to the summit of UK regional and national leaders, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said she had ‘been through a lot’.
‘Sue has been through quite a lot in the last few weeks,’ he said.
‘I worked with her, she is a great colleague. She is taking a short break now and I think we should allow her the time in privacy to do that.’
The senior minister told LBC: ‘I know that she has not enjoyed being a figure in the public eye unlike me, who can come on your programme and speak for myself and answer any of your questions.
‘As an official, she can’t do that. Given what she has been through in the last few weeks, she has decided to take a bit of downtime, take a bit of a break, and I quite understand why.’
Asked how long her break would be, Mr McFadden said: ‘I don’t think it will be long, but let’s give her a bit of space and privacy after somebody who, as I said, can’t speak up for themselves, finding themselves on the front pages of the newspapers in a way that she has not wanted to be.’
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster would not disclose if Ms Gray would continue being paid while she was taking time away from work.
Downing Street refused to say why Ms Gray is taking the break from work, with a No10 spokeswoman saying it was ‘not routine for us to give a running commentary on individual members of staff’.
No 10 insisted the Friday gathering of the Council of Nations and Regions was ‘by no means the extent of our engagement’ and Ms Gray would play a ‘huge role’ going forward.
‘The whole point of the reset is that we will be working much more closely and collaboratively with both devolved governments and with mayors,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘So, you can expect to see – as you already have – much more continued close engagement and the new envoy will play a huge role in that.’
She refused to ‘add to’ the commentary surrounding Ms Gray’s position, which the former senior civil servant cited in a statement announcing her resignation on Sunday.
On Monday, the PM’s spokesman said Ms Gray would be responsible for ‘ensuring collective working’ between Whitehall, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as promoting links with regional mayors.
‘She will have a vital role in strengthening relations between the nations and regions,’ the spokesman said.
Sir Keir is convening metro mayors and first ministers of devolved administrations for the first gathering of his Council of the Nations and Regions in Scotland.
He hailed the announcement of around £24billion in investment for green projects across Britain as a ‘vote of confidence’ in the UK ahead of the talks, which will focus on driving growth across different parts of the country.
However, rumours about Ms Gray could overshadow the proceedings.
The Cabinet Office had been expected to set out details of her new role at the start of the week, but they have not appeared.
Ms Gray is reportedly demanding a better severance package from her former £170,000 role and a better salary in her new job, according to the Guido Fawkes website.
Downing Street sources admitted there were ‘things to work through’ in deciding on the final details of Ms Gray’s new role.
Cabinet ministers have insisted there is a strong team inside Downing Street despite Ms Gray being replaced by former campaign manager Morgan McSweeney after weeks of leaks and hostile briefings against her.
Ms Gray, a former senior civil servant with decades of Whitehall experience, cited ‘intense commentary about my position’ that risked becoming a ‘distraction’ when she stood down.
Sir Keir will today meet first ministers, deputy ministers and regional mayors as part of an effort to ‘rewire’ the way the UK Government interacts with devolved powers and discuss how to boost business ahead of the International Investment Summit next week.
Labour leaders including Sadiq Khan welcomed the gathering, but SNP First Minister John Swinney vowed to use the meeting to talk about how to ‘stop the austerity agenda.’
Ahead of the first council meeting, Downing Street announced around £24billion in private investment for Britain’s clean power projects, including Iberdrola – one of Europe’s biggest energy firms – doubling its backing from £12 billion to £24 billion through Scottish Power over the next four years.
Sir Keir said: ‘Today’s investments are a huge vote of confidence in this government and our relentless focus to drive growth across the UK.
‘Whether you’re in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England – we are creating the conditions for businesses to thrive, and our International Investment Summit will be a springboard for every part of the UK to be an engine of innovation and investment.
‘Today I’m convening the first ever Council of Nations and Regions, because it is when we work together in the spirit of genuine partnership, that we can deliver the real change people want to see and improve opportunities for all.’
Asked in a round of interviews this morning why she Ms Gray was not going to the summit of UK regional and national leaders, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said she had ‘been through a lot’
Mr Swinney said he would ‘speak frankly about the big issues’ north of the border, adding that ‘I hope to persuade the Prime Minister of the transformative potential of public sector investment to stop the austerity agenda’.
Ahead the meeting, Sir Keir appointed Poppy Gustafsson, former head of cybersecurity firm Darktrace, to be his new ‘investment minister’ in a bid to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to strengthening ties with business.
Downing Street said the PM is also asking ministers to review how their departments can support the Office for Investment, which is to be led by Ms Gustafsson – who will be handed a peerage.