Starmer has ‘no input’ on Sue Gray’s pay, Cabinet minister suggests

Ministers have “no political enter” within the pay of their advisers, the Enterprise Secretary has stated, as he defended Sir Keir Starmer amid criticism of his chief of employees’s £170,000 wage.

Jonathan Reynolds stated there was a “long-standing course of” for figuring out earnings for aides and dismissed solutions that the Prime Minister had personally intervened to extend Sue Grey’s pay.

Disclosures that Ms Grey acquired a pay rise after the election which implies she earns greater than Sir Keir have sparked a row inside Authorities and prompted opposition critics to demand solutions about how the choice was made.

Mr Reynolds instructed Sky Information: “I believe it’s vital individuals perceive that the pay bands for any official, any adviser, usually are not set by politicians. There’s an official course of that does that.

“I don’t, as an illustration, get to set the pay for my very own advisers who work immediately for me. So there’s a course of, we don’t have political enter into that.”

He added: “Sue Grey is getting on with the job of this Authorities delivering on our guarantees, I believe that’s what issues greater than the rest for anybody who works in Downing Road, and I can guarantee you that’s precisely what is going on.”

On whether or not Sir Keir personally intervened to extend Ms Grey’s wage, Mr Reynolds stated: “There’s a course of that units these items. It’s broadly recognised. It’s long-standing. It hasn’t modified and that’s how pay bands are set for any adviser.”

The appointment of Ms Grey, a former senior civil servant whose report into lockdown-era events inside Downing Road contributed to the downfall of then-prime minister Boris Johnson, to Sir Keir’s staff has been controversial.

The BBC report on her pay is the most recent of quite a few detrimental tales in regards to the aide, and comes amid solutions of mounting acrimony on the coronary heart of the brand new Authorities over her earnings.

Downing Road denied this week that there was a “nest of vipers” behind the scenes in Sir Keir’s administration after experiences of tensions involving senior officers, together with between Ms Grey and director of political technique Morgan McSweeney.

Over the weekend, Sir Keir sought to minimize the rumours about Ms Grey, saying: “I’m not going to speak behind her again and I’m not going to speak about particular person members of employees, whether or not it’s Sue Grey or another member of employees.

“All I can say in regards to the tales is most of them are wildly unsuitable.”

The BBC stated quite a few Whitehall sources had briefed the organisation on Ms Grey’s wage improve, which means she earns about £3,000 greater than Sir Keir, who’s paid about £167,000.

Sir Keir signed off a rebanding of the salaries for particular advisers shortly after taking workplace in July, in response to the BBC.

This isn’t mirrored in the newest publicly obtainable report outlining particular adviser salaries and pay bands, which is from July 2023.

The deal with Ms Grey’s pay comes at a clumsy time for the PM because it swiftly follows one other row about his and his spouse’s acceptance of lavish presents from outstanding Labour donor and peer Lord Alli.

Chatting with broadcasters on Thursday, Mr Reynolds caught to the road that he has “no downside” with ministers getting a “likelihood for slightly little bit of leisure” as a part of their jobs.

After it emerged that Sir Keir has acquired greater than £100,000 in freebies from donors since 2019 – greater than another current prime minister – the Cupboard minister denied that being gifted tickets to occasions was a perk.

Mr Reynolds instructed Instances Radio: “It’s not a perk of the job, it’s a part of the job. Folks need to interact with decision-makers. They need to ask you to concentrate on what they’re doing.

“Once more, I believe we have now the best guidelines on transparency in relation to that. However that is in regards to the job that we do and the have to be engaged with the sectors that we cowl.”

He added that he had spent “just about each hour” working since turning into a secretary of state, “and if individuals get the possibility for slightly little bit of leisure as a part of that, once more, I’ve no downside or objection to that”.

Sir Keir has accepted round £39,000 from Lord Alli since December 2019, in addition to practically £40,000 in tickets from the Premier League.

These included 4 Taylor Swift tickets in the course of the election marketing campaign value £4,000 and 1000’s of kilos value of tickets to Arsenal video games.

The Prime Minister was defiant over the donations when questioned in regards to the row by reporters earlier this week, signalling he would proceed to just accept presents and hospitality.

“I’m an enormous Arsenal fan. I can’t go into the stands due to safety causes. Due to this fact, if I don’t settle for a present of hospitality, I can’t go to a recreation. You possibly can say, ‘nicely, dangerous luck’. That’s why presents need to be registered,” he stated.

“However, you understand, by no means going to an Arsenal recreation once more as a result of I can’t settle for hospitality is pushing it a bit far.”