Forum Topic

Sue Gray - nice work if you can get it

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx247wkq137o

Richard Greenhough ● 728d40 Comments

Sue Gray, the completely impartial adjudicator responsible for  Boris's downfall, whose son is now the Labour MP for Beckenham & Penge, and she in clover with a massive pay rise exceeding Sir Keir's.After all, she is pulling Sir Keir's strings.

Denis I. Fox ● 728d

Johnson's egregious behaviour, not Sue Gray, was responsible for his downfall. Sue Gray's report on the shenanigans at No10 during lockdown was only part (but a pretty damning part) of the evidence considered by the Privileges Committee. The Committee's report concluded that Johnson was in contempt of Parliament on several scores: that he misled the house  by repeatedly stating that COVID guidance was followed at all times in Downing Street; that he similarly misled the Committee; and that he was complicit in a campaign of abuse directed at those investigating him.  Johnson resigned after sight of the Committee's draft report. There was no 'kangaroo court', as alleged by Johnson, and no conspiracy between the Labour opposition and Sue Gray, as you seem to be suggesting, without any evidence other than her subsequent hiring.

Robert Fish ● 728d

The indecent haste of her subsequent hiring is evidence enough.

Steve Taylor ● 728d

Nonsense! Quite the reverse. By hiring someone of unimpeachable integrity and universally respected within the Civil Service Starmer made it abundantly clear that Labour would make a clear break from the moral bankruptcy of Johnson's administration.

Robert Fish ● 728d

Sue Gray had to wait a specified interval (and did) before taking up her position with the Labour Party and subsequently the P.M. after her resignation from her previous  position. Unlike many former MPs who went from Parliament to juicy jobs with private industry after they'd held positions relative to that industry while an MP. There is a thing called ACOBA - Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, who were supposed to screen all these jobs - it was always ineffective and the Tories played it for all it was worth. So Sue Gray did not fall foul of these requirements, she behaved quite properly.

Vanessa Smith ● 728d

So do you think it is right that she should be paid more than the elected head of government ?

Richard Greenhough ● 728d

And Sir Keir got away with his beer & curry party up north solely coz he was in cohorts with the Commisioner of police up there.

Denis I. Fox ● 728d

I think you mean cahoots. You're talking nonsense.

David Burke ● 728d

The Prime Minister should be paid a lot more. When I was at work I wa spiad more thattehthen Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be paid a lot more. Double or treble his current salary. When I was a manager I still got paid more than the then current Prime Minister. He could then pay for his clothes, glasses and his wife's clothes rather than relying on donors. He will be going to foodbanks next pleading poverty. 

Chris Dakers ● 728d

As Head of the CPS Sir Keir campaigned strongly for Joy Allen to be elected Durham's Chief Commissioner of police, who led the investigation into Beergate. After being elected both were pictured together smiling.With her as head of Durham police Sir Keir had the confidence to say he would resign if found guilty. Former Secretary of State for Culture Nadine Norris demanded an investigation into the conversations between the police and Joy Allen but received nothing.The feeling remains "he got away with it"

Denis I. Fox ● 728d

"the feeling remains he got away with it". You speak for yourself. For me, a beer to accompany some food during the working day is a far cry from Johnson's booze parties. I'm surprised you're still peddling this nonsense. It was a bad-faith, manufactured complaint, to try and undermine Starmer's call for Johnson to resign. In saying he got away with it, you traduce not only Starmer but also the Police and Crime Commissioner, who didn't "lead the investigation into Beergate" - that's not her job. Decisions on prosecuting are made by the CPS.

Robert Fish ● 728d

Me, bad faith pious Sir Keir, the biggest scrounger in Britain.Whatever next?

Denis I. Fox ● 728d

But does the P.M make final decisions ?

Janice Evans ● 727d

Well it seems that Gray is now the Cummings of Downing Street as the ‘most hated’.  It didn’t take long for Stammer to cause discontent and staff upsets at No 10. His team is already imploding.

Steve Taylor ● 726d

Oh, Cummings, I said Boris did not need him.

Janice Evans ● 723d

That reply was not about her salary -  it was about when she went to work for Keir Starmer after leaving her previous job. There is a saying that a labourer is worthy of his hire, and if her employers are satisfied with that - which they seem to be, then Good Luck to her, I don't imagine that job is a walk in the park. At least she isn't completely nuts like one Mr. Cummings.

Vanessa Smith ● 723d

i think decisions were mostly made by 'the experts' during that time, also Boris was very ill so don't think he was.

Janice Evans ● 723d

Cummins was running it and making the decisions

Steve Taylor ● 723d

Suggest a book by Sir Graham Brady (now Lord Brady of Altrincham) former Chair of the 1922 cttee. might be interesting. Lord Brady as 'shop steward' of Tory backbenchers asked to see Boris Johnson to ask about the Cummings saga of driving to Barnard Castle to 'test his eyesight' during lockdown, as they were being leaned on to defend him. "He (Johnson) opened the door looking like shit: frizzy hair and black rings around his eyes", he writes. "This is damaging the party, the government and damaging you personally. Colleagues are really angry.""Boris spat back: "I think backbench MP's have been contemptible! They have been spineless chickenshit. They need to develop some backbone. "The 2019 guys need to understand that they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Dom." Brady then records that told the P.M. that nobody believed Cummings. "No sane person would drive their wife and small child 30 miles to test his eyesight!""Boris looked totally perplexed at this. "HE'S NOT SANE!" he replied, as though that should have been obvious. "I briefly wondered whether Boris was also losing it."And that was what was going on, while the rest of us were doing as we were asked, talk about treating people with utter contempt. The book is called 'Kingmaker'.....

Vanessa Smith ● 723d

Yes indeed, I’ve read some extracts and think it’s definitely worth buying.

Steve Taylor ● 723d

To say he was testing his eyesight was crazy.

Janice Evans ● 723d

Top lawyers can rake in well over £1m, while even the CEs of some not-for-profits can get up to £0.5m. And as for bankers ...

Davey Harris ● 722d

And now she's moving on to a new job "as the PM's envoy for nations and regions."I wonder what the pay rate is for that one ? 

Richard Greenhough ● 710d

Ah yes. Reward for failure as Chief of Staff because she couldn’t hold it together as staff were rebelling against her.

Steve Taylor ● 710d

I am sure people of the forgotten north and west will be well chuffed.They will be so grateful that this job was created as  an afterthought in Starmer's plans.Jobs for the boys and girls,plus ca change?

Keith Iddon ● 710d

‘The grown-ups are back in Westminster. The Tory psychodramas inside No. 10 have been replaced by a serious Labour government focused on delivery.’ Crace, Grauniad.

Russell Pearson ● 710d

What a mess Labour have really shown their true colours and so soon can’t think of a single positive they have achieved in their few short weeks chaos, parties, football, Wimbledon the list goes on while they talk down our country, deprive pensioners of WFP then RR going for broke in October with everyone who works. Great record 😫😫😫 their manifesto is a complete pack of lies they have zero idea how to govern

Jayne Thorburn ● 710d

A likeable neighbour, by all accounts, but I do wonder if James O’Brien’s wee is now a bit too overheated at the latest news.“Appointing Sue Gray is, off the top of my head, the first thing Starmer has very deliberately done which was absolutely guaranteed to provoke an avalanche of Daily Mail-infuse bullshit. And that is both significant and highly encouraging. No wonder all their p*** is boiling!’”

Russell Pearson ● 710d

It is difficult for me to take O'Brien too seriously and he is hardly a barometer of public attitudes.I saw some of his stint on Newsnight and he did not impress.Obviously outside of his LBC comfort zone  he is not up to it.

Keith Iddon ● 710d

PS.I do not read the Mail and my urine in normal temperature.

Keith Iddon ● 710d

Can we all please just take a deep breath, step back from the headlines and try and take a long hard look at the policies that the new government is bringing forward. In the big scheme of things the Sue Gray story is just froth. We all want our politicians to act in good faith and to be incorruptible but we seem to forget that they are human like the rest of us.

Sam Hearn ● 709d

The thing that gets me is that a role seems to have been created for her as an afterthought,and to extrapolate that one might think that the regions (ie:most of the country) are also  an afterthought when they should be at the heart of any policies of a Labour government.The 'regions'(any one else think that's a rather patronising way to refer to them?) being where the vast majority of the unemployed,poor public transport and services,poverty and deprivation are,they should have been central to Labour's thinking and planning from day one.O'Brien and his ilk can spit feathers as much as they like,but no government is immune from scrutiny and criticism of its policies if they are view as egregious.

Keith Iddon ● 709d

Sam they are politicians who have been on the sidelines throwing grenades at the previous government. Surely they should know how to behave when representing our country clearly not. Keir has never been known for his leadership skills sadly this is coming home to haunt him. He appears to be pushed about by the different factions in his party and doesn’t appear to hold a leadership line. When will politicians learn to work as a team just like your business and any other.

Jayne Thorburn ● 709d

I seem to remember not long ago 8 Labour politicians being expelled from the party for voting against the it on the issue of a middle east ceasefire.Now Lammy is calling for one.

Keith Iddon ● 709d

So now it has been revealed that although Gray has been paid a lot of money, she has not done a good job at all.

Steve Taylor ● 709d

She should never have investigated any party given she is clearly not a professional or unbiased lady whatever happened to investigating from a neutral basis. They really are showing their true colours, they should be renamed the nasty party.

Jayne Thorburn ● 709d

U greasy!

Davey Harris ● 707d

Very good 😂😂.  Sums her up.

Steve Taylor ● 707d

So Gray isn’t going back to work for government.  I suppose she has been on full pay while she has been on leave of absence to sulk and I suppose she will receive a nice golden handshake at taxpayers expense for Stammer’s disastrous decision in employing her in the first place.

Steve Taylor ● 673d

Somehow I can't see her taking her pension pot into quiet retirement after the excitement of recent months, so it will be interesting to see where she pops up next.

Richard Greenhough ● 672d