Sue Gray has been replaced by Morgan McSweeney as chief of staff (Image: Getty)
Downing Street denied Keir Starmer has a “woman problem” after the departure of his most senior female aide.
Sue Gray has been given a “vital” new role looking after the nations and regions, No 10 insisted after her sudden departure from the chief of staff role on Sunday.
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Officials refused to say if the position was paid and whether Ms Gray had quit or been sacked from her previous job.
She has been replaced by Morgan McSweeney, who led the party’s election campaign.
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Independent MP Rosie Duffield accused the Prime Minister of having a problem with women and claimed “the lads” were in charge on No 10 when she quit the Labour party.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman denied Ms Gray’s departure backed up the claim.
“I wouldn’t accept that characterisation at all,” he said.
No 10 refused to say if Mr McSweeney will be paid the same ￡170,000 salary Ms Gray earnt in the job, which was higher than Sir Keir’s ￡167,000 paypacket.
Sir Keir wanted to ensure he had “the right structures in place going forward to deliver change for the country,” Downing Street said when asked whether Ms Gray was sacked.
“I think it’s right to reflect on the first weeks and months in office to ensure that you do have the right structures in place going forward to deliver change for the country and as the Prime Minister said the appointments he’s made will strengthen the Downing Street operation and demonstrate his determination to deliver the change that the country voted for.”
Ms Gray, who led the investigation into Boris Johnson and covid rule breaking in No 10 when she was a civil servant, has been a polarising figure since entering No 10.
In a statement on Sunday, she said it had become clear “that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the Government’s vital work of change”.
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Ms Gray had been accused in anonymous briefings of withholding briefings, including documents on security, from the Prime Minister.
Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick said: “Sue Gray’s tenure in Downing Street was one of the unhappiest in the long history of that building. It’s clear that she has left dozens of junior staff hurt and upset.
“But there were serious allegations made that warrant full investigation. In particular, the reports that Ms Gray, a political appointee, blocked sensitive intelligence briefings from being given to the Prime Minister.
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“These are incredibly serious claims that come at a dangerous time for the world. Ms Gray should be blocked from taking up her new role until the Propriety and Ethics team at the Cabinet Office, a unit she once ran, have carried out a full investigation.
“It’s the least transparency we should expect from this government which has moved from one crisis to another in its first few months.”