Angela Rayner takes aim at 'entitled men' of politics - in swipe at Tories over Sue Gray
by Emma Soteriou · LBCExclusive
Watch Again: Andrew Marr is joined by Angela Rayner 24/09/24
By Emma Soteriou
Angela Rayner has taken aim at "entitled men" in politics in a swipe at the Tories over Sue Gray.
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Speaking to LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, Ms Rayner said she had met a few "entitled men" in her time but those who underestimated the likes of her and Sue Gray as a result do so 'at their peril'.
Addressing Ms Gray's role in the government, she said: "Sue Gray is another working class kid that's worked her way up through the ranks and I wouldn't underestimate her.
"She's very formidable and she's very practical and pragmatic.
"We've got the most working class Cabinet ever and we roll our sleeves up and we know why we're doing it."
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When asked if entitled men saw Ms Gray at the core of power and were very "miffed", Ms Rayner said: "I’ve met a few entitled men in my time but what I would say to anyone who does that to Sue Gray is what I said in an interview some years ago when I was a union rep... underestimate her at your peril."
It comes after it was revealed that Ms Gray is paid more than the PM.
The chief of staff asked for and was given a salary of £170,000, according to the BBC.
This means her earnings are some £3,000 more than those of Sir Keir, who is paid around £167,000 from his MP and Prime Minister's salaries.
Sir Keir signed off a rebanding of the salaries for special advisers shortly after taking office in July.
The Conservative Party responded with a series of questions for Labour, including whether the Prime Minister personally signed off on Ms Gray's new salary and the increase to the cap on the highest pay band.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "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."
Speaking to Andrew Marr, Ms Rayner also addressed the ongoing gifts row, which is another issue to have cast a shadow over this year's party conference.
Asked whether the PM should have apologised during his speech, she said: "We haven’t been focused on clothes and everything else – we've been focused on delivery."
She went on to say: "MPs do get donations. They do get gifts, all MPs.
"People can see that we've always talked about transparency in the system, but for me, it's about making sure that people can see that what we're trying to do is deliver for the people on the ground.
"Nobody’s getting multi-million pound contracts because they’ve bought Rachel a frock.
"This is not the way our government is operating, we are absolutely driven to deliver on our missions and for the British people."