Is the Sue Gray row emblematic of a bigger problem?
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Rather than focusing on how much Starmer’s chief aide gets paid, should the focus not be on how the story got leaked and what it tells us about the goings’ on inside Number 10?
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In brief…
- Sue Gray is facing heat for receiving a higher salary than Keir Starmer, but questions have been raised about how the story got out in the first place.
- It likely came from a “hostile briefing” from inside number 10. The News Agents speak to Starmer’s former Chief of Staff Sam White, who says this highlights a “toxic atmosphere” inside government.
- The “knives are out” for Sue Gray, who may have made some enemies over the course of her political career, say The News Agents.
Will Sue Gray still be in her job at Christmas?
What’s the story?
Sue Gray, Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff, was thrust into the spotlight this week after it emerged that she earned a higher salary than the Prime Minister.
There has been a debate around whether this is justified. But is this the real problem?
Perhaps there is another issue at hand - the “toxic atmosphere” in the heart of the government.
Starmer already appears concerned, launching an inquiry into “hostile briefing” after the leak about Sue Gray “went off like a stink bomb in No 10”.
What is briefing and why does it matter?
A briefing in this sense is essentially when a government insider gives information to a journalist. In this case, it is someone giving insider information about a member of their own team.
While this could be considered a plus for democracy, informing the public and offering a degree of transparency, there is also a drawback.
That is according to Sam White, Starmer’s former Chief of Staff.
He told The News Agents: “The thing I think is unsustainable is clearly the culture that has emerged where there's so much briefing.
“For journalists, it's great when there's stuff leaking out, but it's really corrosive to trust, to a sense of team.
“It really starts to undermine people's ability to speak freely, their confidence in their colleagues, and they start asking questions.”
White adds that it is “never okay” to brief against your colleagues.
“I would come down on it like a ton of bricks, because I don't think that's sustainable. I think you create a toxic culture where briefing is allowed to blossom and chip away at people's trust in each other, because without trust, this stuff gets very, very hard.”
Are people out to get Sue Gray?
The News Agents take
“The knives are out for Sue Gray, It is unmistakable”, says Jon.He is not so concerned about how much the Prime Minister’s top aide is pocketing.
Rather, Jon echoes White’s concerns, that the leaking of the Gray story tells us about a “toxic atmosphere at the top of government”.
But Emily asks: “Maybe every organisation has that kind of toxicity in it, and it's about whoever goes and briefs the press first.”
Jon says it is notable how there are “people that are so willing to brief in such a hostile way so soon after winning a general election”.
He adds that Gray appears to be getting “assailed from both sides” in a “pincer movement”.
Jon adds: “You've got senior civil servants pissed off that she is now bossing them around.”
Gray used to be a top civil servant before she became a political appointee under Starmer.
But civil servants aren’t the only ones who may have a problem with Gray, Jon adds.
He says: “You have got Labour people who thought ‘I’ve been toiling in the trenches for years, trying to get us from opposition into government.
