Labour civil war erupts as Keir Starmer's own Cabinet demands he 'gets a grip' of party
The Prime Minister is facing calls to intervene in the row over Sue Gray's £170,000 salary.
Sir Keir Starmer must “get a grip” of Labour’s civil war and end infighting amongst aides, Cabinet ministers believe.
The Prime Minister is facing calls to intervene in the row over Sue Gray’s £170,000 salary, which has infuriated other advisors.
Sir Keir is being urged to "create a moment" to prevent infighting between the rival factions in Downing Street.
The minister said: "Keir has to get a grip. He never resolved in opposition who’s in charge, who has his voice.”
The rows at the heart of Downing Street and the freebies scandal have rocked Sir Keir's premiership and created questions over how prepard they were to form a Government.
And Sir Keir is being urged to involve himself in more decisions, such as on spending, rather than leaving that to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
They added that hiring more staff in Downing Street could reduce tensions.
The revelation about Gray’s pay — resulting from leaks at the heart of Downing Street — has laid bare the extent of ill-feeling among advisers inside the government, who feel “insulted” with “offensively low” salary offers.
“It’s going to get worse. Now people are talking and comparing pay,” said one aide.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting joked that Sir Keir’s embattled senior aide Sue Gray also “shot JFK” and was “hiding Lord Lucan” amid a continuing row over her salary.
The health secretary made light of suggestions of mounting acrimony at the heart of government as he spoke at an event on the sidelines of the Labour party conference in Liverpool.
Speaking to a crowd at the gathering hosted by thinktank Labour Together, Streeting said: “I want to welcome the BBC’s conviction that no one should be paid more than the prime minister, that no one should receive hospitality, and that we should judge performance on social media mentions.
“Be careful what we wish for, comrades.”
He added: “It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Sue Gray is hiding Lord Lucan and shot JFK, and I can’t even tell you what she did to Shergar. I don’t know how we’re going to recover from this, frankly.”
In recent weeks, Gray has been the subject of a series of anonymous briefings signalling discontent within Downing Street just weeks into the new administration.
Leaks about her £170,000 salary have contributed to reports of a fractious atmosphere inside No 10 less than three months after Labour came to power.
