Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said it is his “job to do something” about leaks coming from government, which this week led to his chief adviser’s salary being made public. Speaking to the Observer ahead of the Labour Party conference which begins in Liverpool on Sunday, Sir Keir said leaks “damage everybody” and that it was his “responsibility” to solve the problem.
The revelation of chief of staff Sue Gray’s £170,000 salary – more than the PM is paid himself – earlier in the week hinted at tensions within government. However, Sir Keir struck a celebratory tone in an address to activists on Saturday, saying his government had “achieved more” in 14 weeks than the Tories managed in 14 years – pointing to an end to the junior doctors strike, setting up a national wealth fund and establishing GB Energy.
The bid to strike a note of positivity follows a difficult few weeks for the new government after questions over donations of clothing and gifts, and damaging briefings over the operation in No 10. Sir Keir, Deputy PM Angela Rayner, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have been criticized for accepting thousands of pounds worth of clothing from donors including Labour peer Waheed Alli – a practice they have now said will stop.
The prime minister is also facing continued criticism over his decision to cut winter fuel payments to 10 million pensioners, with a potential vote on the issue on the conference floor on Monday. peaking to the BBC, head of the Unite union Sharon Graham said “it’s a misstep, it’s a mistake” and “it’s a cruel policy and they need to do a U-turn”. If you can do a U-turn on one thing, you can do a U-turn on another,” she said in reference to the decision to stop accepting clothing donations.
Source: BBC
