UK politics live: Sue Gray a ‘lightning rod for criticism’, minister says as Reeves may scrap pension tax raid
Defence secretary says ‘nothing new’ to see senior staffer in Number 10 become ‘lightning rod for criticism’
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Defence secretary John Healey has branded Sue Gray a “lightning rod for criticism” following a political fallout that saw the former chief of staff quit Downing Street.
During the media morning round, the minister said Sir Keir Starmer’s administration owes Ms Gray for her “massive role” in helping it prepare for office but respected her decision to step aside.
The former senior civil servant quit after fearing she was “becoming a distraction” as pressure grows on the prime minister ahead of his first budget.
With the clock ticking toward his first 100 days, the loss of Ms Gray – who the PM recruited to ensure he could drive through his policies through Whitehall once in power – is a major blow for Sir Keir Starmer.
Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her first Budget on October 30 and used her conference speech last month to warn of “tough decisions”, but rejected a return to austerity.
But the chancellor is reportedly expected to axe plans for a tax raid on pension savings after No 11 warned the move could be unfair to public sector workers.
Senior Treasury officials told Ms Reeves that reducing 40 per cent of tax relief on higher earners could hit those with lower incomes.
Sir Keir Starmer shuffles Number 10 team after Sue Gray quits as chief of staff
Who is Sue Gray? ‘Partygate’ civil servant takes up new Labour government role
Who is Morgan McSweeney? The Labour election guru replacing Sue Gray as chief of staff
Why Starmer’s reshuffle of his inner circle will help put No 10 back on track
Andy Street backs Tom Tugendhat
While Labour grapples with the resignation of Sue Gray, the Tories continue to run in the leadership race.
We’ve just learnt that Andy Street, the Tory former mayor of the West Midlands, has endorsed Tom Tugendhat.
Posting on X, he hailed the candidate as a “modest, inclusive brand of Conservatism”.
Sue Gray accused of ‘control freaky’ and blamed for No 10 chaos
Sue Gray has been accused of causing friction among top team aides and causing chaos inside Downing Street.
Staff warned Sir Keir Starmer that he had to “get a grip” on his administration after weeks of rows and internal tensions during the party conference.
Aides reportedly told the prime minister that the chief of staff was at the heart of the problem, accusing Ms Gray of being a divisive figure inside No 10.
Ministers including John Healey this morning have stood by her praising her work in government. But others have accused Ms Gray of alienating some of her colleagues, who slammed her for “control freakery”, and accused her of creating a bottleneck that delayed policy decisions.
She prompted further anger after a leak revealed she was paid £170,000, more than Sir Keir, while other special advisers had their pay cut delayed.
Starmer’s government ‘completely lost grip’, says former Tony Blair adviser
Sir Keir Starmer’s government has “completely lost grip”, a former senior adviser to Tony Blair said.
John McTernan said the Labour government was “delivering drift” rather than change after losing Sue Gray as No 10 chief of staff.
Asked what had gone wrong, he said: “The government has completely lost grip, I think, a grip on their operations, a grip on the media grid and they don’t dominate communications and that has been because they have lacked a political narrative and the political drive and the momentum that drove them through the election to a great victory.”
But Sir Tony’s former political secretary said the campaign strategy that led the party to government has now been exhausted.
Mr McTernan added: “That seemed to run out after the sitting weeks ended in July and we got into the recess of August. It just went from the country demanding change to a government delivering drift.”
Minister rejects claims Labour in crisis with Sue Gray row
John Healey has rejected suggestions the government is already at “crisis point” after Sue Gray stepped down as chief of staff within three months of Labour winning the election.
The defence secretary praised Ms Gray as having a “great talent” for “bringing people together” and described her as a “natural team player” who “raises the standards of those around her”.
Asked how he would characterise the Labour administration and whether it was at “crisis point”, Mr Healey told LBC: “No, I’d characterise this as a new government getting on with the job.”
He refused to be drawn on whether Ms Gray’s new role as envoy to the regions and nations was salaried or whether she would be elevated to the House of Lords, saying: “None of those are decisions for me.”
Asked whether her new position was paid, Mr Healey said: “She has this great talent, Sue Gray, to bring people together, she’s a natural team player and she raises the standards of those around her.”
‘A strong team at Number 10 continues to get on with the job’ after Sue Grey quit
Continuing his morning media round, the defence secretary has insisted that there is a “strong team at Number 10” who is “getting on with the job” despite Sue Gray stepping down.
John Healey told the BBC that the former chief of staff had contributed to helping Labour prepare for government, but had “become a distraction”.
He said: “As she said herself yesterday she’d become a distraction with the commentary that was removing the focus on the government’s job of working for change, and that’s why she’s stepped aside.”
Mr Healey added: “But the important thing is we’ve got a strong team at Number 10, the prime minister’s got a strong team across government and in parliament, and we’re a government determined and continuing to get on with the job.”
Who is Sue Gray and what is her new job?
Sue Gray, who rose to fame when she was handed responsibility for untangling the ‘Partygate‘ saga, has resigned as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff and will take up a new role in government.
Ms Gray said she was standing down because it had “become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change”.
Concerns over the power of Ms Gray in government were recently raised when it was revealed she is paid more as chief of staff than the prime minister.
Here’s everything you need to know about the former senior civil servant:
Who is Sue Gray? ‘Partygate’ civil servant takes up new Labour government role
Veteran mandarin once held Boris Johnson’s fate in her hands but tensions have flared in Sir Keir’s operation after it was revealed she is paid more than the PM
Rachel Reeves backs away from tax raid on pensions
The chancellor is expected to call off plans for a tax raid on pension savings after No 11 warned the move could be unfair to public sector workers.
Senior Treasury officials have reportedly told Rachel Reeves that reducing 40 per cent of tax relief on higher earners could hit those with lower incomes.
A government figure told The Times it would be “madness” to hit nurses and teachers with large tax rises, just months after giving them a pay rise.
Under the plans, a nurse earning £50,000 would be hit with an extra tax bill of up to £1,000 a year.
Another government source claimed Labour’s U-turn on implementing a cap on the lifetime allowance on pension savings would hit junior doctors.
“The government will take into account the impact on public sector workers,” they said.
But the warnings leave the chancellor with limited options to raise £16 billion in taxes to fill the “black hole” in public finances.
The chancellor will finally reveal her “major measures” to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, this Wednesday.
PM says ‘we must stand with Jewish community’ as he marks October 7 anniversary
Sir Keir Starmer has said that “we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community” and reiterated his calls for a ceasefire as he marked the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks.
Monday is one year since the Hamas attacks in Israel, which triggered Israel’s subsequent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
Sir Keir described October 7 2023 as “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust” and said that “collective grief has not diminished” in the year since.
“Over a thousand people were brutally murdered. Men, women, children and babies killed, mutilated, and tortured by the terrorists of Hamas. Jewish people murdered whilst protecting their families, young people massacred at a music festival, people abducted from their homes,” the Prime Minister said.
“Agonising reports of rape, torture and brutality beyond comprehension which continued to emerge days and weeks later.
“As a father, a husband, a son, a brother – meeting the families of those who lost their loved ones last week was unimaginable. Their grief and pain are ours, and it is shared in homes across the land.
“A year on, that collective grief has not diminished or waned.”
ICYMI: Sue Gray quits as Starmer resets top team in bid to regain control
Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to accept the resignation of his chief of staff Sue Gray in the latest attempt by the prime minister to regain control of the political agenda and end the chaos in his government.
After less than three months in office since the election, the loss of Ms Gray – who he personally recruited to ensure he could drive through his policies through Whitehall once in power – is a major blow for Sir Keir.
You can read the full story below:
Sue Gray quits as Starmer resets his top team in bid to regain control over chaos
This comes after weeks of speculation around tensions between Gray, outgoing cabinet secretary Simon Case and Keir Starmer’s director of political strategy Morgan McSweeney
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