Labour insiders are urging Downing Street to usher in a new period of calm at the top of the Government amid concerns over the handling of Sue Gray’s departure.
Sir Keir Starmer has attempted to regain control over his misfiring administration by ousting his chief of staff in the wake of an ongoing briefing war at the heart of No 10.
The Prime Minister swiftly appointed his head of political strategy Morgan McSweeney to become his most senior adviser.
But the decision to sack Ms Gray has not been universally welcomed by figures within the Government, despite many believing her exit was “inevitable” after weeks of negative headlines since Labour came to power.
One minister said they were bemused by the putsch against Ms Gray, telling i: “She clearly upped our game in opposition. It was obvious our whole operation improved immensely when she arrived.”
Another Labour insider suggested the writing was on the wall for the former civil servant for some time, pointing out that Ms Gray was “not the first chief of staff Morgan has chased off”.
“It’s a mess,” the source said, before adding: “Not everyone is delighted… Morgan is very good but he needs a lot of people to handle his to-do list.”
“It’s handy Sue is getting the blame for the comms failures given the reality.”
However, many senior figures in Labour have long thought the No 10 set-up needed to get better: “If not the PM, then those around him – he needs more protection. It’s been painful to watch, from the inside.”
Some figures have suggested that the departure of his chief of staff could further strain relations between Starmer’s team and his Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who was understood to have a good working relationship with Ms Gray.
This was shown during a radio interview recently when Ms Rayner went out of her way to provide cover for someone she described as “another working-class kid that’s worked her way up through the ranks”.
“Sue is quite close to Angela, I think they get on really well,” a Whitehall source said.
But others said the decision to drop Ms Gray, who had become the target of sustained briefing in recent weeks, and replace her with Mr McSweeney would help galvanise the Government.
A Labour insider said: “I think the Gray departure will boost the spirits of a lot of spads – not least because most of them like Morgan.
“It’s not really recognised enough but he is very good at relationships. I remember on Keir’s leadership campaign he gave every member of staff an exit interview. It was so professional and also just made people feel recognised and appreciated.
“And also I think that the reason Rachel [Reeves]’s team always functions well is because everyone knows that when Katie Martin speaks as her chief of staff, she’s absolutely reflecting Rachel’s view. Keir needs the same in his chief of staff and I think that’s much more likely with Morgan than Sue.”
Former Downing Street veterans said Ms Gray’s removal from No 10 was only a matter of time, with Gavin Barwell, who held the role of chief of staff under Theresa May’s tumultuous premiership, telling i: “You can’t do that job once you become the story.”
“Keir Starmer promised stability and the initial Number 10 operation he put in place manifestly failed to deliver that.
“On the plus side, he has recognised that and acted decisively to address it, not just replacing Sue but making wider changes.”
But Lord Barwell, who worked alongside Ms Gray during her time in the Cabinet Office, warned the Prime Minister’s decision to ditch her could send the wrong signal to those who were behind it.
“He has sided with the briefers against the person who was being briefed against,” he said. “There may be good reasons for that, but there are dangers in the message that sends.
“Ultimately Gray has carried the can for first 100 days of this Government going pretty badly.”
Defence Secretary John Healey said that “sadly it’s nothing new” to see a senior staffer in Number 10 become “a lightning conductor for criticism”.
He added that Sir Keir’s administration owes Sue Gray for her “massive role” in helping it prepare for office but “I really respect her decision to step aside”.
Ms Gray is due to take up a new role as envoy to the Prime Minister for the Nations and Regions.
