Sue Gray paid more than the Prime Minister

To Westminster, where more trouble is afoot. It now transpires the Prime Minister is paid less than, er, his own chief of staff. Sue Gray has once again made headlines after the Beeb revealed the former top civil servant has been given a salary of a whopping £170,000 – which is £3,000 more than the man in the top job. How curious…

Gray’s wage – higher than that of her Conservative predecessor Lord Booth-Smith, who earned between £140,000 and £145,000 a year – has sparked an uncomfortable row in government, with frustration amongst other advisers who believe they are being underpaid. According to the BBC, a number of staff members expected they would receive a pay rise on entering government after their work with the Labour party – only to find out they would be getting paid less, some learning of the contents of their finalised employment contract weeks after they had started working.