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Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray is not coming back to work with the PM, HuffPost UK understands.
No.10 announced on October 6 that she was being made the prime minister’s envoy for nations and regions as part of a major Downing Street shake-up.
At the time, Starmer said he was “delighted” that she had accepted the newly-created role.
But it has now been confirmed that she will not be starting the job after all.
The prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday: “I can confirm she has now decided to not take up the role.
“Subsequent to that, we confirmed she was taking a break and I can now update she has decided not to take up the role following her break.”
They said she had already “played a vital role strengthening relations with nations and regions”, for which she had the PM’s thanks.
They did not say if she had been paid during her break between jobs.
No.10 said the envoy role will now be kept “under review”, adding: “Beyond that, respectfully, we won’t comment further on individual staffing matters.”
The comments come hours after a source close to the former chief of staff told the Financial Times: “Sue has taken a decision not to take the role. She’s going to focus on other things.
“She’s taken time to think about it properly, talking to stakeholders, but ultimately she’s decided she doesn’t want to do it.”
However, a cabinet minister told HuffPost UK that it had been No.10′s decision for her not to do the job.
Gray, who attracted national attention after leading the civil service’s partygate probe during Boris Johnson’s premiership, was appointed Starmer’s chief of staff when Labour was still in opposition.
She continued in the role after the election, but clashed with Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s director of strategy.
After weeks of No.10 turmoil, Gray was sacked and replaced by McSweeney.
She immediately went on what the PM’s official spokesman described as a “short” break and never returned to take up her new job.
In a statement in October, Gray said she was “pleased to accept the new envoy role.”
The PM also issued a statement saying he was “delighted she would continue to support our work”.
But the job change was seen by many as a demotion, especially as it was not clear exactly what the new role would entail – or if it would even be paid.
After weeks of silence from Gray, No.10 confirmed to HuffPost UK that she would not be coming back to work for the PM.
A Downing Street source then told the BBC: “We think she has made the right decision.”
Gray went on a “short break” after quitting as Starmer’s chief of staff, where she had been paid more than the prime minister with an annual salary of £170,000.
She did not attend a regional investment summit in mid-October, as she was taking “a bit of downtime” following an intense period in the spotlight, according to cabinet office minister Pat McFadden.
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Starmer was planning to withdraw the job offer to Gray allegedly due to concerns about the media attention which could stop her from working effectively.
A government source told the newspaper: “Sue hasn’t been told for sure that the job is no longer on offer, but she has been warned that this is the direction of travel. The way some people are behaving towards her is really horrible.”
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