Keir Starmer has moved to strengthen his top team after his embattled chief of staff Sue Gray resigned after admitting months of sniping and criticism had weakened New Labor's government.
Mr Gray resigned less than a week into the Labor government's first 100 days after being embroiled in a political storm in the heart of Downing Street.
Mr Gray will be replaced by Morgan McSweeney, who is said to have masterminded Labor's election victory and who is said to have been at odds within the government.
While many senior Labor Party officials downplayed the friction between Mr Gray and Mr McSweeney, who are both close to the prime minister, one cabinet minister predicted Mr Gray's future a few weeks ago, telling the Guardian: Ta. . It's not going to be Morgan. ”
The top civil servant was the subject of an intense and persistent press conference that began less than a month after Labor came to power.
She was accused of becoming an “extraordinary power figure” by micromanaging personnel and restricting access to the Prime Minister's red box containing official documents.
Mr Gray has also been accused by some insiders of failing to avoid and control disputes over giveaways, despite allegedly knowing exactly how the civil service system worked, and Mr Gray Some argued that he lacked “political experience”.
Some insiders have expressed disappointment that the leakers who briefed Gray “won” the battle within No. 10, with McSweeney replacing her as chief of staff. .
Many ministers defended her, saying she risked weakening the government if she did not cancel the “terrible” press conference, but colleagues said it remained a “bottleneck” in the top 10 that delayed policy decisions and appointments. He accused her of creating.
Gray, a former senior civil servant who led the official report into the party scandal, will now take on a new role as the prime minister's special envoy to countries and regions.
The Guardian understands that Gray is expected to receive a peerage in his new role. It is not yet clear whether the envoy position will be paid.
Mr Gray acknowledged in a statement on Sunday that there was a “risk of distraction from harsh comments about my position”.
In her resignation statement, she said: “It was a privilege to take on the role of Chief of Staff and play a role in delivering a Labor government. Throughout my career, my first interest has always been public service.
“However, in recent weeks it has become clear that my harsh comments about my position risk detracting from the government's important change work. For these reasons, I have decided to step aside. I look forward to continuing to support the Prime Minister in his new role.”
At the same time as announcing Gray's resignation and McSweeney's appointment as chief of staff, Starmer sought to shore up the wider No 10 operation to put it on more stable footing after a difficult few months.
Mr Starmer said in a written statement: “I'm really pleased to welcome such talented and experienced people to the team. This shows my absolute commitment to delivering the change the country voted for.”
The depth of domestic concerns about Mr Gray's position at times overshadowed what was supposed to be a significant moment for the new prime minister.
It emerged that Mr Gray had been paid £3,000 more than him during a trip to the US, forcing Mr Starmer to claim he was “in complete control”.
There was a fierce backlash among Labor's special advisers who felt Mr Gray had suppressed their pay. Many people joined unions out of concern.
One government official said the press conference would have “damaged” the prime minister, who was “dedicated to getting results”, and was furious that it was “undermining” the entire government. He said he understands that there are.
Mr Starmer has previously suppressed talk of a “boys' club” in the Labor Party, but used the appointment to recruit more women to his team.
No. 10 political director Vidya Arakeson and government relations director Jill Cuthbertson have been promoted to chief of staff, while former journalist James Lyons joins as head of a new strategic communications team.
On the civil service side, Nin Pandit, a former director of Downing Street policy, has been appointed principal private secretary to the prime minister. No new ministers have yet been appointed after Simon Case's resignation was confirmed.
As the press conference continued, many Labor leaders downplayed the friction between Mr Gray and Mr McSweeney.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said Downing Street was in “turmoil”. In a statement, they said: “In less than 100 days, Sir Keir Starmer's Labor government has been thrown into turmoil. He has lost his chief of staff who was at the center of a scandal that engulfed Labor.” said.
“Sue Gray was brought in to deliver programs for government, but all we've seen in that time is self-service government. The only question that remains is who is going to govern this country now? The question is, will you do it?”
