Keir Starmer has faced questions over his chief of staff Sue Gray, gifts and winter fuel payment cuts in a pre-conference round of interviews with regional broadcasters

It has emerged Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Sue Gray, received a pay rise which means she is now on a higher salary than him. The story, briefed to the BBC by a number of sources, painted a picture of fractious relationships at the heart of government,

Labour questioned over whether pay scales have been changed to allow PM’s chief of staff to receive salary. Another Tory leadership candidate, Tom Tugendhat, has also been on X today raising an issue that he thinks might help with his campaign.

The BBC said a number of sources briefed it on Sue Gray’s salary increase, meaning she earns about £3,000 (€3,570) more than Starmer.

Ministers have "no political input" in the pay of their advisers, the Business Secretary has said, as he defended Sir Keir Starmer amid criticism of his chief of staff's £170,000 salary. Jonathan Reynolds said there was a "long-standing process" for determining earnings for aides and dismissed suggestions that the Prime Minister had personally intervened to increase Sue Gray's pay.