The rise and fall of Sue Gray

Sue Grey has resigned because the chief of employees to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. This resignation got here alongside the drip drip of details about donations to key members of the interior circle of the Labour authorities, together with to Starmer himself.

Utilizing materials from the British official file, broadly outlined because the sum whole of fabric created because of the operations of the British state, we will hint Grey’s profession to see each why she was chosen to work for Starmer and why she ended up having to give up so quickly. Her time in authorities has coincided with some key moments in current British political historical past and adjustments on the high of the British state.

Previous to extra high-profile roles, Grey labored within the Division for Transport, the Division of Well being and the Division for Work and Pensions. Throughout a profession break, she was additionally a publican in Northern Eire.

Grey first labored for the Cupboard Workplace within the late Nineteen Nineties, and labored as director common for propriety and ethics there for six years from 2012. From 2018 to 2021 she went on secondment to develop into the everlasting secretary on the Northern Eire Govt’s Division of Finance. In Might 2021 Grey moved again to the Cupboard Workplace to develop into everlasting secretary with duty for the Union and Structure Directorate.

Following media reporting on gatherings held on the division of training and 10 Downing Avenue which will have contravened COVID-19 laws in early December 2021, an investigation was launched.

This was initially led by cupboard secretary Simon Case however he quickly recused himself after being caught up within the allegations himself. It was Grey who was tasked to take over what turned referred to as the partygate investigation.

Partygate report and Johnson resignation

Grey first revealed an replace on her work wanting into partygate in January 2022, adopted by a full report in Might of that yr.

Amongst different issues, she discovered that no less than among the gatherings amounted to “a severe failure to watch not simply the excessive requirements anticipated of these working on the coronary heart of Authorities but in addition of the requirements anticipated of the complete British inhabitants on the time”. She wrote that “failures of management and judgment by completely different components of No 10 and the Cupboard Workplace” had occurred.

Lower than two weeks after Grey’s ultimate report was revealed, Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a vote of no confidence, though 148 Conservative MPs (41%) voted towards him. Many MPs cited Johnson’s lack of repentance as justification for his or her votes towards him. By July, Johnson had been satisfied to resign when dozens of members of his authorities walked out en masse throughout the course of 1 24-hour interval.

Becoming a member of and leaving Labour

In March 2023, Grey resigned from the civil service. She had been recruited by the opposition to organize Labour for presidency when it began to seem like the occasion might actually take energy.

Nonetheless, after in search of authorized recommendation from the advisory committee on enterprise appointments, she took six months out to make sure a “clear break” between working for the civil service and a political occasion.

However, Grey’s determination to alter roles led a authorities investigation to accuse her of breaching the civil service code. Labour rejected this declare and accused the federal government of “losing time on this Mickey Mouse nonsense”.

As Labour entered authorities in early July, Grey transitioned to being chief of employees for Starmer. Nonetheless, simply over two months later, particulars of how a lot Grey was being paid had been leaked to the BBC.

At £170,000, Grey’s wage was £3,000 greater than Starmer’s. An fascinating query right here is why that is truly an issue. Maybe some had been sad concerning the distinction between the wage of Grey and their very own wage. Or perhaps the story that she earned greater than the prime minister was simply too tempting to leak trying to trigger bother for different causes.

This story broke as particulars about how Starmer and others within the central Labour workforce had taken presents and hospitality from occasion donors additionally emerged. As occurred in the direction of the top of the Conservative interval in energy in recent times, a number of tales and scandals, together with the small print about Grey’s wage, began to been seen as a part of a single narrative.

It could even be the case that, after 14 years out of presidency, these on the high of the Labour occasion had been unprepared for the larger stage of scrutiny that comes with being in energy.

On October 6, two-and-a-half weeks after particulars of her wage had been leaked, Grey resigned. In her resignation assertion, Grey mentioned: “It has develop into clear to me that intense commentary round my place risked changing into a distraction to the federal government’s very important work of change.”

Past the wage story, considerations had additionally been raised about energy and decision-making being concentrated in Grey’s palms. Her case additionally raises questions on how doable it’s to easily transition from the civil service to a political submit.

Grey has now moved into the newly created, and seemingly ill-defined, function of “envoy for the areas and nations”. This can embrace work on the brand new Council of Nations and Areas, the physique Starmer has set as much as concentrate on delivering extra equitable devolution.

It’s not clear whether or not this new function is a means of massaging Grey out of frontline roles completely, if it’s a task with actual tooth that may enable Grey the power to impression occasions in a means she has prior to now, or a placeholder till one other outstanding place extra suited to her expertise is accessible. For the latter to be doable although, the political winds might want to change.