Sue Gray has quit as Sir Keir Starmer‘s chief of staff and been shuffled to another Government role as the Prime Minister annnounced a shake-up of his No10 team.
Following weeks of speculation about a bitter Downing Street power struggle, Ms Gray will now become the PM’s envoy for nations and regions.
Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s chief adviser who oversaw Labour‘s general election campaign, will replace Ms Gray as the PM’s new chief of staff.
In what has been dubbed a ‘reset’ of Sir Keir’s Downing Street operation in the wake of the damaging ‘freebies’ row, the PM has also made four other key appointments.
Sir Keir has named two new deputy chiefs of staff, a new principal private secretary, and a head of a new ‘strategic communications team’.
Sue Gray has quit as Sir Keir Starmer ‘s chief of staff and been shuffled to another Government role as the Prime Minister annnounced a shake-up of his No10 team
Following weeks of speculation about a bitter Downing Street power struggle, Ms Gray will now become the PM’s envoy for nations and regions
Ms Gray’s departure as chief of staff comes amid reported tensions between herself and allies of Mr McSweeney.
She was also claimed to have clashed with Cabinet Secretary Simon Case following Labour’s general election win.
Among recent bitter briefings about Ms Gray’s powerful role in No10 were leaks about her £170,000 salary, which is larger than the PM’s.
It came as other special advisers saw their pay held down and added to reports of civil war within Sir Keir’s No10 team.
The Tories claimed the turmoil in Downing Street showed how Sir Keir’s Government had been ‘thrown into chaos’ in less than 100 days in office.
Since winning power, the PM has been engulfed in a row over his acceptance of lavish gifts and hospitality – including from millionaire peer Lord Alli.
Ms Gray said she was resigning as Sir Keir’s chief of staff because it was ‘clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction’.
In her new role, she will help manage the Government’s relations with local mayors and other devolved authorities.
Among recent bitter briefings about Ms Gray’s powerful role in No10 were leaks about her £170,000 salary, which is larger than the PM’s
Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s chief adviser and Labour’s former general election campaign director, will replace Ms Gray as the PM’s new chief of staff
The PM thanked the former civil servant for ‘all the support she has given me, both in opposition and in Government’.
‘Sue has played a vital role in strengthening our relations with the regions and nations. I am delighted that she will continue to support that work,’ he added.
In her own statement, Ms Gray said: ‘I am pleased to have accepted a new role as the PM’s envoy for the regions and nations.
‘After leading the Labour Party’s preparation for government and kickstarting work on our programme for change, I am looking forward to drawing on my experience to support the PM and the Cabinet to help deliver the Government’s objectives across the nations and regions of the UK.
‘In addition to building a close partnership with devolved governments, I am delighted this new role will mean continuing to work alongside and support the PM, Deputy PM, the Cabinet and the mayors on English devolution.
‘It has been an honour to take on the role of Chief of Staff, and to play my part in the delivery of a Labour Government.
‘Throughout my career my first interest has always been public service.
‘However in recent weeks it has become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the Government’s vital work of change.
‘It is for that reason I have chosen to stand aside, and I look forward to continuing to support the PM in my new role.’
Ahead of him marking his first 100 days in No10, Sir Keir today made five appointments in an attempt to beef up his Downing Street operation.
He named Mr McSweeney as his new chief of staff and promoted Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson to be deputy chiefs of staff.
Nin Pandit has been appointed the PM’s principal private secretary (PPS) and James Lyons, a former journalist, will join to head up a new strategic communications team.
A Conservative spokesperson said: ‘In fewer than 100 days Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government has been thrown into chaos – he has lost his chief of staff who has been at the centre of the scandal the Labour Party has been engulfed by.
‘Sue Gray was brought into deliver a programme for government and all we’ve seen in that time is a government of self-service.
‘The only question that remains is who will run the country now?’
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