KEIR STARMER has been urged to make an “immediate” statement to address the lack of information on Sue Gray’s new nations and regions envoy role.
Sue Gray was appointed into the newly created role after being forced to resign as Starmer’s chief of staff on October 6 amid infighting inside the Labour-run Downing Street.
The Cabinet Office has since told The National that she is “taking a break” – adding that further details on the role and its scope will be added soon to the gov.uk website.
But the lack of information on the role, nearly two weeks after it was first created, has been called into question by SNP MP Chris Law.
“Keir Starmer hasn’t produced a job description, simply because it’s becoming more obvious that there never was a job in mind in the first place,” he told The National.
“Number 10 clearly rolled out a new role for their outgoing chief of staff to conceal that she was pushed out or her job rather than offered a change of role.”
In a statement at the time, Gray said she was stepping down because it had “become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change”.
But it followed briefings against her to the media, including the BBC reporting that Gray was paid more than the Prime Minister and disgruntled special advisers accusing her of attempting to effectively cut their pay.
Gray also found herself accused of consolidating a substantial power base for herself in government, to the exclusion of Starmer top adviser Morgan McSweeney – who subsequently took over the role.
Law (above), meanwhile, called for the Prime Minister to release more information immediately.
“Starmer should address Parliament immediately with a full statement of this new role and to what ends it hopes to achieve,” he said.
The inaugural meeting of the so-called Council of Nations and Regions was held in Edinburgh last week.
The meeting is intended to bring together the 11 English metro mayors, the leaders of the devolved administrations, and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to discuss "shared challenges" and "opportunities".
But figures in Scotland have slammed the UK Government for not inviting Scottish council leaders.
But Gray didn’t attend and following three hours of meetings, Starmer touted the importance of the summit but dodged questions about the non-attendance of his former chief of staff.
