Keir Starmer’s mask has just dropped with his astonishing take on Sue Gray’s £170k salary
Keir Starmer was asked by a BBC journalist about Sue Gray (Image: PA)
Of all the things that should be up for discussion, politics and those involved in it are the most obvious candidates for dissection in a democratic society.
But apparently the Prime Minister disagrees. Sir Keir made an astonishing remark when asked about the fury being aimed at Sue Gray, his Chief of Staff.
The row centres on her salary of £170,000. It was widely commented, given it is £3,000 more than Sir Keir’s salary after Ms Gray’s pay rise was leaked against the backdrop of pensioners losing the Winter Fuel Payment.
Sir Keir was asked by a BBC journalist whether he’d sack those leaking information about Ms Gray, or sack Ms Gray herself. He could have reverted to Drear Starmer type and issued a bland statement about there being “no plans” to dismiss anyone over this. Instead, he said the following.
“I’m not going to discuss individual members of staff, whoever they are, any name of the staff you could have put to me in this interview, and I’d have the same answer to you.
“I don’t believe that my staff should be the subject of public debate like this, and I’m not going to play any part in it.”
Sue Gray has found herself at the centre of a furore (Image: PA)
He doesn’t believe that his staff should be the subject of public debate? Seriously? Ms Gray is the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff. She’s not an entry-level civil servant nervously shuffling around Whitehall on her first day. She’s working at the centre of power in a supposedly open and free society.
Perhaps we should take his words more literally than that. Perhaps he’s fine with the notion of those in high-profile political roles being the subject of debate, just as long as they’re not his people.
He certainly seemed to agree that the salaries of those employed by Boris Johnson should be fair game for criticism when he tweeted of the then-PM’s Chief Adviser in 2021: “£40,000 per year pay rise for Dominic Cummings. £3.50 per week for NHS nurses. The mask has slipped.”
That’s remarkably similar, is it not, to complaining about Ms Grays’ pay while pensioners are losing out on £100 to £300 designed to keep them warm in our most brutal months?
It’s possible that three years ago he thought it was OK to enter into debate about the Prime Minister’s staff in a public forum and that now, for some reason, he doesn’t.
People do change their minds and this shouldn’t be held against them. But it should be treated with scepticism when that person just so happens to change his mind whenever it seems to suit his interests. Hard-left Labour campaigners know this better than any of us.
Keir Starmer slammed Dominic Cummings’ salary (Image: X/Keir Starmer)
The arrogance of this bureaucratic bore’s claim that a taxpayer-funded salary isn’t up for debate is astonishing, but it shouldn’t be surprising. This is not a man who has shown himself amenable to the free speech values so necessary to sustain a democratic society.
This is the same Sir Keir who has scrapped the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which intended to ensure that universities uphold free speech principles rather than caving to mobs of unthinking, hysterical students who think that debate is dangerous.
It might be considered to be slightly flawed to have the Government enforce by law free speech values, but it was to be a reliable bulwark against bullies who don’t care about such values and are intent on banning speakers they dislike.
If it’s a choice between state intervention to ensure students hear a range of opinions and caving to morons too scared to read a book and you opt for the latter, I know which side you’re on. And this, on the island that produced John Milton, John Stuart Mill and George Orwell.
All of this is quite the fall for Sir Keir, a man who took on McDonald’s when they tried to shut down two critics with a libel lawsuit. It appears as though he’s on the other side now.
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Keir Starmer speaks out after dozens of UK prisoners let out early in error
UK Prime Minister Attends the 79th United Nations General Assembly (Image: Getty)
The Prime Minister has said it is “deeply regrettable” that dozens of prisoners were let out early by mistake.
It was revealed today that around 37 people were released in error on September 10, because their offences for breaching restraining orders had been wrongly logged under old legislation.
This meant they were not flagged as not suitable for early release.
At least one of the prisoners remains at large, while others let out early included one who went on to commit a sexual offence shortly after securing his freedom.
He told reporters in New York: “It’s deeply regrettable that they were released.
“As I understand it to do with the classification under old legislation and I think all bar one are back in custody.
“But of course, I’m concerned, and we’ll ensure that all victims have the support that they need.”
The Ministry of Justice has now confirmed that all further planned releases of offenders affected by this issue have been halted, and guidance has been issued to staff to ensure future releases are accurate. The department is not aware of this issue affecting other offences, reports the Mirror.
Following Labour’s ascent to power, Shabana Mahmood announced a radical policy that would see prisoners released after serving just 40% of their sentences, down from the current halfway mark, lamenting it as an “emergency measure” needed “to avert a disaster”.
She slammed the Tory Government for allowing prisons in England and Wales to reach breaking point with overcrowding issues.
The Labour minister cautioned that without immediate action, the prisons could overflow, potentially leaving police powerless to make arrests and leading to widespread chaos with “looters running amok, smashing in windows, robbing shops and setting neighbourhoods alight”.
However, this emergency early release scheme won’t apply to everyone. Those serving time for grave violence or sexual crimes, specifically if their sentences exceed four years, are ruled out, along with domestic abuse offenders who’ve violated restraining orders.
Countering Labour’s stance, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson emphasized the commitment to public safety, stating: “Public safety is our first priority. That is why we took decisive action to fix the broken prison system we inherited and keep the most dangerous offenders locked up.
This included blocking the early release of domestic abuse offences such as stalking and controlling behaviour.”
