SUE Gray was in the firing line today after it emerged that she refused to be paid less than her boss the Prime Minister.
While Sir Keir Starmer earns £166,700, his all-powerful chief of staff pockets £170,000 from the taxpayer.
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Ms Gray’s salary is also higher than her Conservative predecessor and any serving Cabinet Minister.
The row deepened as it was claimed the No10 supremo rejected advice to be paid slightly less than the PM.
A source told the BBC: “It was suggested that she might want to go for a few thousand pounds less than the prime minister to avoid this very story. She declined.”
Ms Gray – a former civil servant who memorably led the Partygate inquiry – has been at the centre of a vicious Downing Street briefing war since Labour took office.
A series of leaks have emerged claiming she has locked horns with strategy guru Morgan McSweeney and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.
The latest revelation also comes at a febrile time for the government over the axing of universal winter fuel payments for pensioners.
Tory candidate Robert Jenrick said: “£20,000 a year pay rise for Sue Gray. £600 cuts for some pensioners on as little as £13,000 a year. Starmer’s hypocrisy reeks.
Conservative MP Robbie Moore added: “The only pensioner better off under this new Labour Government.”
And it comes amid growing pressure on Sir Keir over thousands of donations from a Labour peer to pay for him and his wife Victoria’s clothes.
A Cabinet Office spokesman told the BBC: “It is false to suggest that political appointees have made any decisions on their own pay bands or determining their own pay.
“Any decision on special adviser pay is made by officials not political appointees. As set out publicly, special advisers cannot authorise expenditure of public funds or have responsibility for budgets.”