Pressure on PM to deal with Gray row

Keir Starmer has become exasperated about infighting across government involving Sue Gray, with the prime minister under pressure from senior aides and cabinet ministers to urgently resolve the row.

- Pippa Crerar

Sources said the situation would come to a head after he returned from his trip to the UN in New York, where he was joined by his chief of staff. Starmer is said to be dismayed at tensions inside the No 10 machine.

Senior Labour figures believe the prime minister knows he now needs to "get a grip" on the situation, which he is understood to regard as a frustrating distraction from getting on with changing the country. Gray has become an increasingly divisive figure in recent weeks. While several senior ministers have rallied around her, saying the "appalling" rows must stop or risk undermining the government, she has alienated some of her political colleagues, who have accused her of "control freakery" and of creating a "bottle neck" in No 10 that has delayed policy decisions and appointments.

She provoked further anger when it emerged she was paid £170,000 more than the prime minister - while at the same time political special advisers had had their pay cut and their contracts stalled.

On his trip to the US, Starmer was asked by broadcasters about unhappiness in his government towards Gray. He did not comment on the row but admitted it was his responsibility to "deal with" unhelpful briefing.

"I acknowledge that briefings to you are not helpful to the government.