British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reacts as he meets with Defense Secretary John Healey and House of Lords MP George Robertson at 10 Downing Street on July 16, 2024 in London, England.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray resigned on Sunday amid rumors of tensions within her advisory team, casting a cloud over the government more than three months after its landslide election victory. shadow.
Gray is a former senior civil servant whose salary was leaked to the media last month, with some anonymous officials blaming her for Starmer’s rocky start in Downing Street.
“In recent weeks, it has become clear to me that heated commentary surrounding my position could distract from the administration’s important change work,” Gray said in a statement.
Starmer led Labor to a landslide victory in July, promising discipline and change after 14 years of Conservative rule. But his time in office has already come under criticism over the free gifts he and other Labor politicians received from wealthy donors.
Starmer has repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts to his office said last weekBut the figures are politically damaging at a time when his government is cutting financial aid for millions of pensioners on their energy bills.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Gray would take up his new role as Starmer’s regional and national envoy.
Reports say she will be replaced by Morgan McSweeney, who previously served as the prime minister’s chief adviser.
Gray was hired by Starmer in 2023, when his Labor Party was in opposition. The appointment is considered controversial because she led a government inquiry into the Downing Street party in 2022 when Conservative Boris Johnson was prime minister. Johnson quits Downing Street in 2023.
Starmer announced other changes to his advisory team and established a new strategic communications team, led by James Lyons, a former senior journalist at the British newspaper.
Starmer and his finance minister Rachel Reeves face a crucial month as they announce their first tax and spending plan Budget statement for October 30.
The Conservatives said Starmer’s government was first “in turmoil” over criticism of free gifts and then Gray’s resignation.
A spokesman for the party said: “Sue Gray was tasked with delivering a plan for the government and what we saw was a self-service government.”
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