Tag Archives: downing street

Sue Gray Is Not Coming Back To Work For Starmer As Ex-Chief Of Staff ‘Rejects New Role’

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Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray is not coming back to work with the PM, HuffPost UK understands.

No.10 announced on October 6 that she was being made the prime minister’s envoy for nations and regions as part of a major Downing Street shake-up.

At the time, Starmer said he was “delighted” that she had accepted the newly-created role.

But it has now been confirmed that she will not be starting the job after all.

The prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday: “I can confirm she has now decided to not take up the role.

“Subsequent to that, we confirmed she was taking a break and I can now update she has decided not to take up the role following her break.”

They said she had already “played a vital role strengthening relations with nations and regions”, for which she had the PM’s thanks.

They did not say if she had been paid during her break between jobs.

No.10 said the envoy role will now be kept “under review”, adding: “Beyond that, respectfully, we won’t comment further on individual staffing matters.”

The comments come hours after a source close to the former chief of staff told the Financial Times: “Sue has taken a decision not to take the role. She’s going to focus on other things.

“She’s taken time to think about it properly, talking to stakeholders, but ultimately she’s decided she doesn’t want to do it.”

However, a cabinet minister told HuffPost UK that it had been No.10′s decision for her not to do the job.

Gray, who attracted national attention after leading the civil service’s partygate probe during Boris Johnson’s premiership, was appointed Starmer’s chief of staff when Labour was still in opposition.

She continued in the role after the election, but clashed with Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s director of strategy.

After weeks of No.10 turmoil, Gray was sacked and replaced by McSweeney.

She immediately went on what the PM’s official spokesman described as a “short” break and never returned to take up her new job.

In a statement in October, Gray said she was “pleased to accept the new envoy role.”

The PM also issued a statement saying he was “delighted she would continue to support our work”.

But the job change was seen by many as a demotion, especially as it was not clear exactly what the new role would entail – or if it would even be paid.

After weeks of silence from Gray, No.10 confirmed to HuffPost UK that she would not be coming back to work for the PM.

A Downing Street source then told the BBC: “We think she has made the right decision.”

Gray went on a “short break” after quitting as Starmer’s chief of staff, where she had been paid more than the prime minister with an annual salary of £170,000.

She did not attend a regional investment summit in mid-October, as she was taking “a bit of downtime” following an intense period in the spotlight, according to cabinet office minister Pat McFadden.

The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Starmer was planning to withdraw the job offer to Gray allegedly due to concerns about the media attention which could stop her from working effectively.

A government source told the newspaper: “Sue hasn’t been told for sure that the job is no longer on offer, but she has been warned that this is the direction of travel. The way some people are behaving towards her is really horrible.”

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Sue Gray Refused To Co-Operate With Inquiry Into Job With Labour, Government Says

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An inquiry into Sue Gray’s proposed move to the Labour Party has been put on hold after the partygate investigator refused to take part in the probe, a government minister has said.

Her appointment as the Labour leader’s chief-of-staff proved hugely controversial among Tory MPs given that she led the official government probe into Downing Street rule-breaking during lockdown.

Some reports suggested she could have breached the civil service code with her job move.

According to an update on a review into the appointment, Gray declined to make representations into the inquiry looking into her discussions with Labour about the senior party role, Oliver Dowden has said.

In a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, cabinet office secretary Oliver Dowden said his department has made a “confidential assessment” to the anti-corruption watchdog and will not provide further information on Gray’s departure “whilst we consider next steps”.

As well as a cabinet office probe, the anti-corruption watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), is reviewing the terms of Gray’s departure.

It can set recommendations for when senior people leave government, including calling for a cooling-off period to avoid any conflict of interest.

Who Is Sue Gray?

The senior civil servant was thrust into the limelight when she took over the probe into coronavirus rule-breaking at No 10 in 2021.

She stepped in to lead the investigation after cabinet secretary Simon Case – her boss – recused himself following allegations that his own office held a Christmas event amid a lockdown.

An initial dossier, published in January 2022, included several strong criticisms of Downing Street’s drinking culture, but was short on details about the parties as it was hampered by an investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police.

But her full report in May 2022 proved to be a bombshell. It detailed events at which officials drank so much they were sick, sang karaoke, became involved in altercations and abused security and cleaning staff at a time when millions of people across the country were unable to see friends and family.

She criticised “failures of leadership and judgment” in No 10 and said “the senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility”.

Six weeks later, Johnson was forced out of office by his own cabinet and Conservative MPs.

While Gray, in her mid-60s, is said to shun the media spotlight, some politicians have gone so far as to suggest the former publican is the “real leader” of the UK.

In her former role as director-general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office from 2012 to 2018, she is said to have overseen cabinet reshuffles, served as a guiding hand in compiling honours lists, and even signed off political memoirs before their publication.

In the statement, Dowden said Gray was “given the opportunity to make representations as part of this process but chose not to do so”.

He added that “in order to maintain confidentiality towards an individual former employee, I am unable at this stage to provide further information relating to the departure of Ms Gray whilst we consider next steps”.

Dowden also highlighted sections of the civil service code relating to the political activity of civil servants, adding: “The impartiality and perceived impartiality of the Civil Service is constitutionally vital to the conduct of government.”

Earlier in the day Starmer insisted he had no discussions with Gray while she was investigating Boris Johnson and he was “confident” she had not broken any rules.

“Firstly I had no discussions with her while she was investigating Boris Johnson whatsoever, I don’t think anyone is suggesting that’s the case,” the Labour leader told BBC Breakfast ahead of an expected update later from the Cabinet Office on the circumstances of her departure.

He went on: “I’m confident she hasn’t broken any of the rules.”

Starmer claimed the government was trying to resurrect a story about Gray, because they do not want to talk about the cost of living crisis.

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Boris Johnson Pulls Out Of Race To Be Prime Minister

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Boris Johnson has ruled himself out of running for the Tory leadership, despite claiming he had the support required to do so.

The former prime minister said he had “much to offer” but that now was “simply not the right time”.

Johnson said he was “well placed” to deliver a Tory win at the next general election but suggested it would be hard to govern a disunited party.

“You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament,” he said.

He also confirmed that he had appealed to the other two candidates – Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt – but they had not been able to work out a deal.

Johnson pulled out just a few hours after his campaign team told supporters they had secured the 100 nominations needed from MPs to get on the ballot paper.

A number of cabinet ministers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadhim Zahawi, had backed their former boss.

One reason why the former PM may have decided not to run is that he is facing an inquiry into whether he lied to the Commons over the partygate scandal.

If found guilty by the Commons Privileges Committee, he could face recall proceedings that would leave him battling for his seat in the Commons if he receives a suspension of 10 days or more.

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

DANIEL LEAL via Getty Images

It now looks increasingly likely that former chancellor Sunak is heading for No.10 and will be Britain’s next prime minister.

In a statement, Johnson said: “In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament.

“I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago – and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now.

“A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country.

“I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow.

“There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday.

Penny Mordaunt.
Penny Mordaunt.

ISABEL INFANTES via Getty Images

“But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.

“And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny – because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest – we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this.

“Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”

A source close to Rishi Sunak said: “We are not taking anything for granted. Rishi will be continuing to talk to colleagues tomorrow morning before nomination papers go in, and discussing how best to unite the party and take the country forward.”

A Mordaunt campaign source said: “Penny is still running to be the leader of the Conservative Party.

“Penny is the unifying candidate who is most likely to keep the wings of the Conservative Party together and polling shows that she is the most likely candidate to hold onto the seats the Conservative Party gained in 2019.

“Ed Balls, shadow cabinet ministers and Labour advisers have all said Penny is the candidate Keir Starmer fears the most.”

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Liz Truss Upstaged By A Bin Bag Before First Speech As PM

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A metaphor was handed to critics of Liz Truss on a plate as the weather wreaked havoc on her first speech as prime minister.

Heavy rain forced the Number 10 lectern inside and out again before the new Tory leader addressed the nation on Tuesday.

Journalists and MPs were left in limbo as the heavens opened while Truss’s convoy drove through London towards Downing Street.

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="The lectern is prepared ahead of new UK prime minister Liz Truss arriving to give her first speech at Downing Street.” width=”720″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/liz-truss-upstaged-by-a-bin-bag-before-first-speech-as-pm-3.jpg”>
The lectern is prepared ahead of new UK prime minister Liz Truss arriving to give her first speech at Downing Street.

Leon Neal via Getty Images

At one point, a bin bag was draped over the podium microphone.

On the BBC News channel, Huw Edwards was padding for Britain as the plastic protection took centre stage for a full 30 seconds.

The bin bag featured above the headline “Liz Truss appointed Prime Minister”.

However, just as it looked as though Truss would be forced inside, the inclement weather subsided and the podium, which had been taken inside, was again brought back on to the street.

Of course, the Twitterati had already pounced on the symbolism. The Times writer Caitlin Moran said: “Well, there it is. The picture that will go around the world.”

After the lectern was eventually unsheathed, Truss gave her inaugural address as PM – chanelling Winston Churchill as she pledged to pull the UK out of the doldrums.

<img class="img-sized__img portrait" loading="lazy" alt="New prime minister Liz Truss makes a speech outside 10 Downing Street.” width=”720″ height=”1080″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/liz-truss-upstaged-by-a-bin-bag-before-first-speech-as-pm-4.jpg”>
New prime minister Liz Truss makes a speech outside 10 Downing Street.

Kirsty O’Connor via PA Wire/PA Images

Speaking as she prepared to enter Number 10 for the first time as prime minister, Truss pledged to take “action this day” to turn the country’s fortunes around.

During the second world war, Churchill famously attached red stickers with those same words to documents needing immediate attention by his staff.

Truss, who was forced to delay her arrival in Downing Street by heavy rain, said she was “honoured to take on this responsibility at a vital time for our country”.

She said: “What makes the United Kingdom great is our fundamental belief in freedom, in enterprise, and in fair play.

“Our people have shown grit, courage and determination time and time again.

“We now face severe global headwinds caused by Russia’s appalling war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid.

“Now is the time to tackle the issues that are holding Britain back.”

The new PM added: “We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation with high-paying jobs, safe streets and where everyone everywhere has the opportunities they deserve.

“I will take action this day and action every day to make it happen.”

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Boris Johnson Resigns From ‘The Best Job In The World’

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Boris Johnson said he was “giving up the best job in the world” as he announced he was resigning as prime minister.

The outgoing premier also spoke of the “pain” he felt at having been forced out by his MPs.

He said it was “clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister” and that the leadership contest to choose his successor had now begun.

Speaking directly to the British public on the steps of 10 Downing Street, he said: “I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.”

Johnson was applauded by around 30 supportive MPs, as well as his wife Carrie and Downing Street aides as he made his way from the front door of No. 10 to the lectern in the street outside.

In an at-times graceless speech, Johnson made clear his anger at being dumped by his own party less than three years after winning an 80-seat majority.

He said: “In the last few days, I tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate and when we’re actually only a handful of points behind in the polls, even in mid-term after quite a few months of pretty relentless sledging and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.

“I regret not to have been successful in those arguments and of course it’s painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself.

“But as we’ve seen, at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful, when the herd moves, it moves.

“And my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times.”

He added: “I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time, thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979.

“And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.

“And of course, I’m immensely proud of the achievements of this government.”

The PM went on: “I know that even if things can seem dark now, our future together is golden.”

The prime minister also confirmed he plans to stay in office until a new leader is elected, which may not be until the autumn.

Despite Johnson’s insistence that he will stay on until a new leader is in place, angry Tory MPs have demanded he go straight away, a move which would likely see deputy PM Dominic Raab take the reins until a new leader is in place.

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen told HuffPost UK: “He’s lost the confidence of the party and he’s lost legitimacy to stay in office – leave means leave.

“If he stays we will be mired in further scandal and sleaze allegations throughout the summer, which will distract from government and the leadership election.

“It’s all about Boris Johnson – it’s not about the the party or the country. He’s not fit to remain in office a moment longer.”

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‘Don’t Threaten Police’ – Boris Johnson’s Allies Warned Over Partygate

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The prime minister’s allies have been warned not to “bully” police investigating Partygate after an extraordinary comment was made in a newspaper.

Senior Tory MPs are among those who urged Boris Johnson to distance himself from the controversial remarks made in The Times.

A source close to the PM apparently said the Met Police will need to be “very certain” that he had broken lockdown rules before issuing him with a fixed penalty notice.

The source added: “There is inevitably a degree of discretion here. Do you want the Met Police deciding who the prime minister is?

“If he does get one, it would be odd if the discretionary action of the police determines the future of the country.”

Sir Bob Neill, Tory chair of the Commons justice committee, hit back: “It is completely inappropriate to suggest that there should be any special treatment for anyone involved in these inquiries and any suggestion of political pressure on the police is completely reprehensible. No.10 would do well to disown it.”

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: “The prime minister must distance himself from this extraordinary threat to the police. No-one is above the law, not even Boris Johnson – no matter what he might believe.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey added: “This veiled threat by Number 10 allies is amongst very heavy competition perhaps the darkest moment of this whole sorry saga.”

Meanwhile, the PM’s former chief aide turned critic Dominic Cummings tweeted: “Tory MPs are propping up a guy not just trying to fix illegal donations etc but trying to bully cops into treating him differently.”

Adam Wagner, a human rights barrister and expert in Covid regulations, stressed that the legal test is that the police “reasonably believe” someone has committed an offence before issuing an FPN.

“This will be the same regardless of how important the person is — this is the rule of law,” he added.

The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating 12 alleged Covid-rule breaking gatherings held in Downing Street and Whitehall during the pandemic.

Among them are parties Johnson is understood to have attended as well as a separate bash held in his Downing Street flat.

Police said they need to contact “each individual” who attended the events – which means both the PM and his wife Carrie could face interviews.

Detectives investigating the alleged rule-breaking parties are due to contact more than 50 attendees this week.

Officers will send formal questionnaires to those individuals over events that took place between May 20 2020 and April 16 2021.

Anyone found to have breached Covid rules without a reasonable excuse could be issued with an FPN.

The prime minister has so far refused to confirm he would quit if police rule he broke lockdown laws

A spokeswoman told the Mail: “This government has always backed the police and fully respects their complete independence to carry out inquiries without fear or favour.”

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Steph McGovern ‘Throwing Up’ In Downing Street After Night Partying With Kylie Minogue Is The Story That Has It All

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Everyone has got their own work hangover stories, but we’ll bet none of them are as good as Steph McGovern’s.

The Packed Lunch presenter has revealed how she once “threw up” in the toilets of 10 Downing Street after a night partying with Kylie Minogue.

Steph recalled how she’d once been sent to No.10 to interview then-prime minister Gordon Brown while she was nursing a hangover from dancing the night away with one of the biggest stars in the world.

The host – who perviously presented the business news on Chris Evans’ drivetime radio show and worked as a producer for political journalist Robert Peston – had been invited to a party in Hyde Park by Chris, which was attended by the pop princess.

But she ended up paying the price the following day when she was sent on a last-minute dispatch to meet the PM.

Steph McGovern
Steph McGovern

Samir Hussein via Getty Images

Speaking on Monday’s edition of Steph’s Packed Lunch, Steph recalled: “Kylie was there, I was literally living my best life. I was drinking, I’d taken the next day off work but obviously as a journalist you can’t take days off if news happens. I got a phone call from Robert Peston. He said, ‘We’ve got an interview with the prime minister in the morning, you need to get it organised but you can’t tell anyone, you need to get a camera man or woman there for me at number 10.’”

Steph continued: “I was hammered. I rang the news desk to organise the cameras. They were like ‘You’re drunk, Steph, you need to go home’.

Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue

Antony Jones via Getty Images

“When I’d finally organised the camera crew, I put the phone down and was like I’m not going home yet, I’m dancing with Kylie Minogue, this is never going to happen again in my life. So I didn’t go home and ended up going to a big party at Chris Evans’ house.

“He has a guy who works for him he calls Mrs Doubtfire and he [Chris] said ‘I’ll get him to give you a lift in the morning’… So I got dropped off at Downing Street in one of Chris Evans’s spy 100 Ferrari cars and I had to and go this interview with the prime minister.”

Steph, laughingly added: “And I threw up in the loo of Number 10… But still, the interview went well!”

Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4.

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