Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of workers Sue Grey has taken up her place within the Home of Lords after she was nominated by the prime minister for a peerage.
Ms Grey will now be often called Baroness Grey of Tottenham, representing the realm in north London the place she was born, and she is going to sit within the higher chamber as a Labour peer.
The previous civil servant, who stop Downing Road final October after about three months within the function, was nominated for a life peerage by the prime minister in December.
She had resigned from her job as Sir Keir’s prime adviser amid an influence battle in Quantity 10.
It noticed Morgan McSweeney, Labour’s former marketing campaign director who masterminded the celebration’s election landslide, change her within the function.
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Ms Grey rose to public prominence after authoring the report into events in Downing Road throughout the pandemic.
Her transfer to Labour attracted headlines from the start, with the Tories elevating questions on how a lot contact she’d had with the celebration concerning the prime job whereas nonetheless a civil servant.
However it was an inner row that led to her leaving the chief of workers function, with Labour’s first three months in workplace dominated by detrimental headlines about her.
Tensions over Ms Grey’s place reached a crescendo when her wage of £170,000 – some £3,000 greater than the prime minister – was leaked to the BBC in an obvious try to break her politically.
It was additionally reported on the time that she was blamed by celebration workers who had been disgruntled they weren’t being paid greater than what they obtained when Labour was in opposition.
Ms Grey missed Labour’s first celebration convention in energy because the prime minister attracted scrutiny for the greater than £100,000 price of items he accepted as Labour chief, together with tickets to soccer matches, live shows and luxurious garments.
Baroness Grey was later supplied the function of the prime minister’s envoy for the nations and areas, which she in the end rejected after lacking the primary key summit related to her new remit.
In her resignation letter final October, Ms Grey mentioned that whereas it had been “an honour to take on the role of chief of staff”, it had turn into clear that “intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change”.
“It is for that reason I have chosen to stand aside, and I look forward to continuing to support the prime minister in my new role,” she added.
Ms Grey was amongst 30 new Labour peerages introduced forward of Christmas to redress the celebration “imbalance” within the Home of Lords.
The Conservatives nominated six folks, and the Liberal Democrats two.
Taking her seat within the unelected Home of Lords, Ms Grey wore the standard scarlet robes for the brief introduction ceremony within the higher chamber, the place she swore the oath of allegiance to the King.
She was supported by former Whitehall chief and impartial crossbencher Lord O’Donnell and fellow Labour peer Baroness Harman.
Her son, the Labour MP Liam Conlon, watched the ceremony from the general public gallery within the Lords.
