Under-fire Sue Gray should be underestimated at your peril, Angela Rayner has warned.
Hailing Sir Keir Starmers Chief of Staff as formidable, the Deputy Prime Minister said despite the attention on her pay packet she was a prime example of a working-class kid thats worked her way up through the ranks.
Ms Gray, who was born in north London and joined the civil service straight from school, is not attending the Labour Party conference in Liverpool after it was revealed she is paid £170,000 – meaning she earns more than the Prime Minister, who is on £166,000.
But Ms Rayner, who grew up on a council estate in Stockport, took aim at entitled men who appear to be briefing against the Downing Street aide.
I wouldnt underestimate her, shes very formidable, she told LBC.
Under-fire Sue Gray should be underestimated at your peril, Angela Rayner has warned
The Deputy Prime Minister hailed her boss Chief of Staff (seen over summer) as formidable and a working-class kid thats worked her way up through the ranks
It was revealed last week that Ms Gray is paid £170,000 – meaning she earns more than Sir Keir Starmer, who is on £166,000
And weve got the most working-class Cabinet ever as well. And we roll our sleeves up, and we know why were doing it. We get it.
Ive met a few entitled men in my time, but I would say to anyone who does that to Sue Gray – underestimate her at your peril.
Allies of Ms Gray, who led the Partygate investigation, have launched a fightback after days of toxic briefing against her, insisting she commands strong support from across No 10.
Yesterday Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: Sue Gray knows Whitehall inside out, and I know I can pick up the phone to her and shell get things done.
Earlier in the week, speaking at a conference event, Mr Streeting mocked the BBC for revealing Ms Gray is paid more than the PM.
He said: I want to welcome the BBCs conviction that no one should be paid more than the PM, that no one should receive hospitality, and that we should judge performance on social media mentions. Be careful what we wish for, comrades.
An astonishing briefing to the broadcaster also accused Ms Gray of acting increasingly grand and acting as the only conduit for access to the PM.
[She] considers herself to be the Deputy Prime Minister, hence the salary and no other voice for the Prime Minister to hear as everything gets run through Sue, they told the broadcaster.
Another added: It was suggested that she might want to go for a few thousand pounds less than the Prime Minister to avoid this very story. She declined.
Sir Keir attempted to defend Ms Gray at the weekend by saying that most of the stories about her are wildly wrong following reports of rifts in No10.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: It is false to suggest that political appointees have made any decisions on their own pay bands or determining their own pay.
Any decision on special adviser pay is made by officials not political appointees. As set out publicly, special advisers cannot authorise expenditure of public funds or have responsibility for budgets.