As Haigh’s resignation continues to dominate SW1, Sky News, who ran the first fraud conviction story, notes that “allies of the former transport secretary detect the hand of Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s chief of staff, in her very swift downfall.” The McIavelli…
Downing Street refused to say how much Morgan would be paid when he took Sue Gray’s job – for which she famously demanded more than the PM at £170,000. Ministers still won’t say what the exact figure is but they have now clarified that “senior pay control processes were followed and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury provided salary approval.” Darren Jones has got involved…
The rules state that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury “must approve the remuneration when an appointment will attract: i) total remuneration at or above the defined threshold of £150,000, or the pro-rata equivalent for part-time staff, or ii) performance related pay (‘bonus’) arrangements that exceed the threshold of £17,500.” That means McSweeney isn’t doing too badly in comparison to sacked Sue. When Guido put it to Cabinet Office and Downing Street, they refused to comment. Guido’s guessing Morgan hasn’t gone above the PM…
UPDATE: Guido understands Morgan is paid less than sacked Sue and the PM. That means he’s on between £150,000 and £166,786…
Badenoch said at her speech on Monday morning: “We are absolutely ready to fight a general election. We say the results in Aberdeen South: 50% of the vote. Because we can unite the country… It’s about uniting the country, for God’s sake, behind a centre-right agenda.”