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 inside circle of the Labour authorities, together with to Starmer himself.
Utilizing materials from the British official document, broadly outlined because the sum complete of fabric created on account 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 latest British political historical past and adjustments on the prime 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 Nineties, and labored as director normal for propriety and ethics there for six years from 2012. From 2018 to 2021 she went on secondment to turn out to be the everlasting secretary on the Northern Eire Government’s Division of Finance. In Could 2021 Grey moved again to the Cupboard Workplace to turn out to be everlasting secretary with accountability for the Union and Structure Directorate.
Following media reporting on gatherings held on the division of training and 10 Downing Avenue that 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 often known as the partygate investigation.
Partygate report and Johnson resignation
Grey first revealed an replace on her work trying into partygate in January 2022, adopted by a full report in Could of that yr.
Amongst different issues, she discovered that no less than a number of the gatherings amounted to “a severe failure to look at not simply the excessive requirements anticipated of these working on the coronary heart of Authorities but additionally of the requirements anticipated of the whole British inhabitants on the time”. She wrote that “failures of management and judgment by completely different elements of No 10 and the Cupboard Workplace” had occurred.
Lower than two weeks after Grey’s closing 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 in the course of 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 arrange Labour for presidency when it began to appear like the social gathering may actually take energy.
Nonetheless, after looking for 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 social gathering.
Nonetheless, Grey’s resolution 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 increased than Starmer’s. An attention-grabbing 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 possibly the story that she earned greater than the prime minister was simply too tempting to leak seeking to trigger hassle for different causes.
This story broke as particulars about how Starmer and others within the central Labour group had taken items and hospitality from social gathering donors additionally emerged. As occurred in direction of the tip of the Conservative interval in energy lately, a number of tales and scandals, together with the main points 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 prime of the Labour social gathering 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 stated: “It has turn out to be clear to me that intense commentary round my place risked turning into a distraction to the federal government’s very important work of change.”
Past the wage story, issues had additionally been raised about energy and decision-making being concentrated in Grey’s fingers. Her case additionally raises questions on how doable it’s to easily transition from the civil service to a political put up.
Grey has now moved into the newly created, and seemingly ill-defined, position of “envoy for the areas and nations”. This can embody work on the brand new Council of Nations and Areas, the physique Starmer has set as much as deal with delivering extra equitable devolution.
It’s not clear whether or not this new position is a manner of massaging Grey out of frontline roles completely, if it’s a job with actual tooth that may permit Grey the power to impression occasions in a manner she has up to now, or a placeholder till one other distinguished place extra suited to her expertise is on the market. For the latter to be doable although, the political winds might want to change.