Sue Grey has resigned

Glenfinnan

Saw on a political forum this week that Chancellor may change her mind on pensioners winter fuel payments… just to improve Labours ratings!

It's certainly a very unpopular new policy.. they'd be very unwise to implement it..

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Well she’s been ‘moved across’ to another post.
Same salary?
She’s to coordinate the ‘whole of the UK’. Bet she still has the ear of Keir Starmer.
They must think were easily fooled.

They do

Saw on a political forum this week that Chancellor may change her mind on pensioners winter fuel payments… just to improve Labours ratings!

I used the Morning Star article because it is not behind a paywall.

There are plenty of pieces online if you ask Google…

The Morning Star ? Let’s follow Russia

The Morning Star is the paper of the Communist party of Great Britain: a quick look at its front page shows where its loyalties lie
morningstaronline.co.uk/author/communist-party-britain

As regards Sue Gray, and the friction at the top of the L party campaign and presentation work, I regret the re shuffle had to happen, feel sad about it, but it clearly had to be resolved

details in the guardian
www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/06/sniping-and-criticism-what-led-to-sue-grays-resignation-and-what-happens-now

To those saying the winter fuel allowance is only £4 or £5 a week, I’m glad I once had the experience of being a single mother on low income to understand what living hand ton mouth mean. To some retired single people only on a tiny private pension of £3 or £4 a week, which will take them over the limit for pension credit, this really is a stab in the back. I am appalled with these Champagne Socialists, so disappointing. I’ve come to the conclusion that each party has a few members with decent morals and a caring attitude, but the majority of them allow the power to go to their heads and start enjoying the high life.

The Morning Star hate don't like Starmer, GG13.

For better balance see Wyllow's post at 10.09

Well, he was still PM at the time, Wyllow 😆

And remember, it wasn't Partygate that forced him out of office, though it contributed to his unpopularity with the public. It was the Chris Pincher affair that did for him.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202410/medium-854840-img-1076.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202410/medium-636689-img-1075.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202410/medium-42797-img-1074.png

MaizieD

GrannyGravy13

Morgan McSweeney the Labour Party election guru who is to replace Sue Gray was fined for not declaring £750,000 in donations…

He's not an MP. Why would he a) have 'donations' in the first place and b) why would he have to declare them?

Any link to a story?

My phone doesn’t like links for some unknown reason MaizieD

Here is the article from the Morning Star

Thank you for the correction, MaizieD, on who appointed Sue Gray. So it was Johnson himself!

She was appointed for the role because of the respect and skills she had, by Sunak, who as people have said is a decent man, and carried it through properly.

She was appointed by Johnson to report on PartyGate. His original choice, the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, had to be taken off the investigation because he had actually been at some of the parties.

Case was never any good as Cabinet Secretary. He was over promoted and couldn't keep a check on Johnson's excesses. He should have been 'let go' as soon as Labour came to power. I see that some commentators are as ascribing his resignation to Starmer's weakness, but we have known for a long while that he intended to leave in the New Year.

but I can't help thinking that Sue Gray has lost out to man in a man's world, something an awful lot of women experience.

That thought had crossed my mind, too, Icanhandthemback.

icanhandthemback

Regardless of the reasons that this has happened or whether she showed bias in her role of a Civil Servant, her new role is likely to be much lesser paid (if at all), is reported to be a big drop in status and doesn't appear to be in the direction Sue Gray was expecting her career to take.

I wasn't in favour of Sue Gray because I didn't think it was a good look to take on someone who had such a high profile with the Partygate investigation but I can't help thinking that Sue Gray has lost out to man in a man's world, something an awful lot of women experience.

I also know someone who worked closely with Starmer who said he was someone who was ruthless and duplicitous with an ability to throw someone under the bus at the drop of a hat if he thought they might harm his image. I took this with a pinch of salt but this latest happening does make me wonder.

Yes. Someone wrote into TRIP’s and described Keir as ruthless, a description that I think surprised Rory ,Alastair and me too. Especially at a time when he was being described as dull and boring. It was a bit of a light bulb moment for me although, in retrosoect it had taken a lot of ruthlessness to turn the parties fortunes around the way that he did. Is it not a good thing to realise he isn’t the weak, mild mannered person that people imagined him to be? Imo I’m pleased that he’s a lot tougher than I’d realised but I don’t think he worries about his personal image. You need to be ruthless in politics these days. I do, however, think that he’s fair with it. I would imagine that Sue Grey has never liked being the focus of such attention, well paid or not.

Sue Gray was well respected at the time across the board for her report. It followed police guidelines as to what was lawful or not: her job was to put together/gather available detailed evidence as part of a team, not alone, and write the report.

At the time she was praised (well, not by Johnson time) for the report, and went back to general Civil Service work under Sunak.

All civil servants have their own political views, but there is no evidence she therefore had bias (if there is, from that time, please produce it). There's a very strict code of conduct on it.

Her choice to leave meant she had the freedom to express her views, as do all civil servants on leaving.

I don't think her skills were suitable for the position she held in the L Party (nor the salary), as we are discussing (and still in the news this lunchtime)
But to attempt to smear her as less than honourable in her role in the Gray report, her previous civil Servant career are unfounded and disingenuous.

She was appointed for the role because of the respect and skills she had, by Sunak, who as people have said is a decent man, and carried it through properly.

How strange MayBee wonder why this could be

Regardless of the reasons that this has happened or whether she showed bias in her role of a Civil Servant, her new role is likely to be much lesser paid (if at all), is reported to be a big drop in status and doesn't appear to be in the direction Sue Gray was expecting her career to take.

I wasn't in favour of Sue Gray because I didn't think it was a good look to take on someone who had such a high profile with the Partygate investigation but I can't help thinking that Sue Gray has lost out to man in a man's world, something an awful lot of women experience.

I also know someone who worked closely with Starmer who said he was someone who was ruthless and duplicitous with an ability to throw someone under the bus at the drop of a hat if he thought they might harm his image. I took this with a pinch of salt but this latest happening does make me wonder.

Prior to the partygate enquiry everyone said how good she was. Then, after the judgement went against Johnson she suddenly became biased .Strange that.

Allira

Rishi Sunak could have blocked her appointment for two years but did not.
He is a more decent man than his predecessors and successor.

Obviously, with her strong political views, she had a conflict of interests, at least during her later period as a civil servant. Civil servants should not show their bias and prejudices.

I don't think anyone, other than perhaps the liar Johnson, has ever accused Sue Gray of bias or prejudice.

Ladyleftfieldlover

This is all very Daily Mail ish!

Yup, all the Tory/Reform Grans are out in force. There are other Grans here too though thank goodness.

Not the honeymoon period the LP were expecting. If it's this bad now goodness knows what the future holds for us all.

Obviously with her strong political views, she had a conflict of interests, at least during her later period as a civil servant.

Absolutely.
There were certain roles she was unsuitable for, and it was up to those in charge to assess her suitability for anything she was being asked to do. It appears this was not done by Johnson, Sunak, or Starmer.

That was in reply to Wyllow3

We don't know because we have no idea if she would have produced a similar report had a Labour government done the same.
Certainly she hasn't proved to be very good at advising Starmer about standards in public life.

So Sunak had the power to block Gray’s appointment and didn’t? And we thought Sunak was incompetent? What did Sunak know that no one else did?

There were/are no suggestions of bias when Grey was working as a civil servant producing her key report which was published 25 May 2022, having worked alongside the police.