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Sue Gray has reportedly turned down Sir Keir Starmer’s offer to become the prime minister’s envoy for the nations and regions, in yet another blow to the prime minister as questions continue about his Downing Street operation.
Ms Gray was sacked as chief of staff last month after losing out in a power struggle with election strategist Morgan McSweeney.
It came as the prime minister attempted to reshuffle his top team of advisers following a dreadful start to his governent which had almost instantly been plagued by infighting, a row over freebies and complaints that he was failing to get his message over on difficult policies like ditching winter fuel payments.
This latest blow comes as the government is locked in a row across the regions on nations on the new family farm tax.
But The Independent understands that questions were being raised almost immediately after Sir Keir appeared to attempt to appease Ms Gray’s humilation with a new job of envoy for the nations and regions. But she failed to turn up at a nations and regins conference that same week and now appears to have rejected the role after months of speculation over when she would take up the role.
It is understood that ministers involved in the nations and regions portfolio were “less than impressed” and “not enthusiastic” about the idea of Ms Gray as the envoy with questions over whether she would be telling them what to do.
The revelation of her rejection of the job comes amid claims the prime minister was poised to withdraw the job offer.
No 10 repeatedly said she was on a short break before taking up her new post, but it has since been reported that she has declined to take the role she was offered.
The PM’s former chief of staff was due to take up a job as “envoy to the nations and regions”, after she stepped down from her position at the heart of government in October.
This followed intense media speculation about turmoil at the heart of Downing Street.
“Sue has taken a decision not to take the role. She’s going to focus on other things,” an ally of Ms Gray told the Financial Times.
They added: “She’s taken time to think about it properly, talking to stakeholders, but ultimately she’s decided she doesn’t want to do it.”
No 10 had previously described her new role as a “vital role in strengthening our relations with the regions and nations”.
In the job, she would have acted as a go-between for ministers with devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and regional mayors across England.
Her resignation as chief of staff followed weeks of infighting almost from the moment Labour won a historic election result, coupled with questions over gifts for the prime minister, Ms Gray and senior cabinet ministers, and fears the government had lost control of its own agenda.
The prime minister was forced to reset his top team, after failing to reset the agenda three times with announcements about restricting gifts in the future and paying back some of them.
At the time, Ms Gray agreed to take up the new role in government following an admission she had become a “distraction”, not least over revelations of her £170,000 salary – more than the prime minister.
In a statement, Sir Keir thanked Ms Gray for her work to “prepare us for government and get us started on our programme of change”.
Ms Gray did have some support among the metropolitan mayors. Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen told The Independent: “She was effective and helped me get stuff done over the few months she was there.”
Downing Street has been contacted for comment.
Source: independent.co.uk
