Keir Starmer's top aide Sue Gray paid more than the PM

Sir Keir Starmer’s main of unit received a wage emergence aft the predetermination which means she is present paid much than the premier minister.

The BBC has been told that Sue Gray asked for and was fixed a wage of £170,000 - £3,000 much than the PM and much than immoderate furniture curate – oregon her Conservative predecessor.

One root told the BBC: “It was suggested that she mightiness privation to spell for a fewer 1000 pounds little than the premier curate to debar this precise story. She declined.”

The determination has ignited a enactment wrong authorities implicit Gray, whose study portion a elder civilian servant into parties successful Downing Street during the pandemic contributed to the downfall of Boris Johnson.

She past went connected to enactment arsenic a Labour Party adviser.

Her Conservative predecessor Liam, present Lord, Booth Smith, who did the occupation nether Rishi Sunak, was paid astatine the precocious extremity of the highest wage set for peculiar advisers, between £140,000 and £145,000 a year.

The boost successful Sue Gray’s wage comes aft the premier curate signed disconnected a rebanding of the salaries for peculiar advisers soon aft taking office.

The rebanding was done by officials, not by Gray herself and her wage is not astatine the apical of the caller highest set for peculiar advisers.

News of Sue Gray’s wage rise, briefed to the BBC by a fig of Whitehall sources, is the latest successful a enactment of leaks astir her which overgarment a representation of fractious relationships astatine the precise apical of government, conscionable months into Labour’s tenure.

“It speaks to the dysfunctional mode No10 is being tally - nary governmental judgement, an progressively expansive Sue who considers herself to beryllium the Deputy Prime Minister, hence the wage and nary different dependable for the Prime Minister to perceive arsenic everything gets tally done Sue,” 1 insider told the BBC.

The premier curate earns £166,786.

One aggravated authorities insider branded Gray's wage “the highest ever peculiar advisor wage successful the past of peculiar advisers”,

Others successful authorities talk passionately successful Sue Gray’s defence and judge determination is simply a misplaced and profoundly idiosyncratic run against her which is grossly unfair.

Gray’s wage has sparked specified a enactment successful authorities partially due to the fact that different advisers judge that they are being underpaid.

Every furniture curate has astatine slightest 2 peculiar advisers, galore of whom besides worked with them successful opposition.

Then, they were paid by the Labour Party.

Most were expecting wage rises upon entering authorities lone to observe they would successful information beryllium paid less.

Many of the disappointed advisers blasted Gray specifically - though others importune that wage is simply a substance for civilian servants.

The bulk of those connected the committee wrong Whitehall liable for peculiar advisers wage and conditions are civilian servants, but some Sue Gray and Morgan McSweeney, the premier minister’s manager of governmental strategy, are connected it too.

“It’s bizarre,” 1 furious advisor told the BBC. “I’m moving harder than ever successful a much important occupation and they privation to wage maine little than the Labour Party was paying maine erstwhile it was broke.”

These frustrations are not confined to inferior advisers.

A root claimed that the premier minister’s manager of communications, Matthew Doyle, was initially offered a wage of £110,000, importantly little than Gray’s.

This was aboriginal raised to £140,000, a fig successful enactment with respective of his predecessors doing the aforesaid job.

There is nary proposition determination was immoderate choler internally implicit Doyle’s pay.

Many peculiar advisers worked for weeks without being shown a projected employment contract, meaning that by the clip they discovered what their wage would beryllium they had fundamentally nary prime but to judge it.

Again, Gray was wide blamed for the hold successful ceremonial contracts being circulated.

When Gray was hired arsenic Starmer’s main of unit successful 2023 she was tasked with moving connected Labour’s preparations for government.

Special advisers spot the enactment implicit their salaries arsenic a motion that the enactment was not carried retired successful capable detail.

“If you ever spot immoderate grounds of our preparations for government, delight fto maine know,” 1 advisor said.

When a caller authorities is elected dozens of caller peculiar advisers get each astatine once.

To guarantee radical are paid immediately, they were each enactment connected a holding salary, portion the caller wage bands were worked through.

Others questioned wherefore the archetypal batch of ministerial appointments, which Gray oversaw, took truthful agelong fixed the main of unit had had months to plan.

A curate for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, was not appointed until 18 July, 2 weeks aft the wide election.

Successive Conservative governments besides explored expanding the wage of peculiar advisers, earlier concluding “the authorities is wild,” arsenic 1 Tory root enactment it, of giving advisers wage rises erstwhile millions of households were struggling with the outgo of living.

Under some Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, proposals for increases were afloat worked up, we are told, “but they were rejected due to the fact that they were seen arsenic indefensible.”

Those successful authorities present reason the wage of peculiar advisers had go good retired of measurement with others successful Whitehall and needed to spell up.

But others inactive deliberation Sue Gray’s wage is excessive.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson told the BBC: “It is mendacious to suggest that governmental appointees person made immoderate decisions connected their ain wage bands oregon determining their ain pay.

"Any determination connected peculiar advisor wage is made by officials not governmental appointees. As acceptable retired publicly, peculiar advisers cannot authorise expenditure of nationalist funds oregon person work for budgets.”