Her resignation comes following a torrid period for the new Labour government, with donations made to the party during and after the 4th July General Election coming under major scrutiny by the press and public.
Gifts of £18,000 worth of clothing from Labour peer Lord Alli to the Prime Minister are particularly controversial, with Tom Tugendhat jokingly remarking “Lord Alli can’t afford Labour” during his campaign to be Tory leader.
As these scandals continued to dominate headlines, Sue Gray, already a well-known figure following her report into the Conservative government’s Partygate debacle, was increasingly thrust into the public light.
This culminated with BBC reports that her salary of £170,000 was more than that of the Prime Minister. While Downing Street denied that this revelation had caused tensions within Government, there were reports that Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the Home Civil Service, had been unsettled by the news. Gray subsequently resigned, citing that she “risked becoming a distraction”.
The 66-year-old Londoner’s new role will see her become the “Envoy for Nations and Regions”, a new role in the government focussed on establishing cordial relations between Downing Street and the devolved governments of the UK.
However, this move has become the source of yet more major controversy. Chris Law, the Scottish National Party MP for Dundee Central, accused Labour of having a “colonial mindset” toward Scotland over Gray’s new role, while Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth called the move “insulting”.
Losing his Chief of Staff is not the only major resignation Kier Starmer has had to handle in the past few weeks, with Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield having also stood down. Duffield, whose “gender critical” comments on Trans issues has seen her become a controversial figure within the party, resigned with a tell-all interview in The Times.
Blaming “cruel and unnecessary” policies such as the cuts to winter fuel allowance for her resignation, Duffield criticised the government’s handling of its donations scandal, and later went on to tell the BBC that she thought Starmer had a “problem” with women.
This series of blows to the government and Starmer have seen Labour’s polling support decline significantly, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK continue to gain support. One poll by More In Common suggested that Labour would lose 23 seats to Reform, including Sunderland South, currently held by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Starmer’s personal popularity is also taking a hit, with DeltaPoll reporting a 39 point drop in his approval rating since the election.
