Latest news with #specialadvisers
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Starmer's chief of staff is top paid special adviser
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff is the highest paid special adviser, government figures McSweeney is paid between £155,000 and £159,999, the Cabinet Office said in a senior government staffers, known as spads, are in the next highest band and are paid between £145,000 and £149, Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, No 10's director of strategic communications James Lyons, and John Van Reenan, the chancellor's top economic adviser, are among those in the second-highest pay bracket. Last year, the BBC reported that Sir Keir's former chief of staff, Sue Gray, had a higher salary than the £166,786 the prime minister had been left her role, saying she "risked becoming a distraction", and was replaced by McSweeney, who was previously chief adviser to the prime minister and masterminded Labour's general election details of Gray's salary were leaked to the BBC, as the former senior civil servant was embroiled in internal rows in the early months of the Labour special advisers in the team were angry about being asked to take pay cuts. Overall, the pay bill for spads in 2024/25 was £ included £3.1m in severance costs, partly covering outgoing advisers from the previous Conservative of 31 March this year, there were 130 special advisers working for the over £76,000 are declared in bands of £5, was the only person in the £155,000 to £159,999 a veteran diplomat, was appointed as a special adviser last year, breaking with convention to take up the national security adviser role, which is usually held by a civil servant.
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Morgan McSweeney is paid less than rival Sue Gray was in same role
Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff takes home £15,000 a year more than his equivalent under Rishi Sunak, but less than his rival Sue Gray. New figures show Morgan McSweeney earns between £155,000 and £160,000, compared with the £140,000 to £145,000 earnt by Liam Booth-Smith under the last Tory government. Mr McSweeney took over as chief of staff from Ms Gray, a former civil servant, in October 2024 following damaging power battles. His salary is at least £10,000 less than the £170,000 Ms Gray demanded when she began her four-month stint in the post. Overall, there are now 130 special advisers across government, compared with 128 under Mr Sunak. Special advisers, or 'spads', are political appointees who are not part of the impartial Civil Service that runs Whitehall. Some 23 of them earn more than £100,000, up one from the last Conservative government. Special advisers on six-figure salaries take home £3.1m in pay under Sir Keir, compared with £2.7m under Mr Sunak. Sir Keir's original choice as chief of staff was Ms Gray, who left the Civil Service to join Labour in March 2023. Her appointment was controversial as she had written the partygate report which led to the fall of Boris Johnson. She moved with Sir Keir to Downing Street in July 2024 but soon became embroiled in an argument over her demand to be paid more than the Prime Minister, while special advisers were facing lower salaries than when in Opposition. Her £170,000 pay packet was £3,000 more than the Prime Minister's wage. Despite having worked with Sir Keir for years and having helped him turn Labour into an election-winning organisation, Mr McSweeney was given a lesser role as head of political strategy. In post, he reportedly clashed with Ms Gray, prompting one Cabinet minister to say: ' One or both of them will have to go. It's not going to be Morgan.' Angela Rayner has six spads The latest information on special advisers was released by the Government on Thursday afternoon as Parliament prepared to go into recess. Salaries for those on more than £76,000 are given in £5,000 bands. Sir Keir alone has 42 spads, of whom eight are on more than £145,000. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, has six spads with the highest earning up to £105,000. However, this total is exceeded by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has nine spads including one on up to £150,000. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has five spads and Foreign Secretary David Lammy has four. Most others have three or four although Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has managed to employ five. The document states: 'As at 31 March 2025, there were 130 (128.67 full-time equivalent) special advisers working across Government. 'The special adviser pay bill for the financial year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 was £16.7million. 'This includes £3.1million paid in severance payments to special advisers, and a pay award of 5 per cent for eligible special advisers. 'A special adviser's appointment automatically ends when their appointing minister ceases to hold the ministerial office in relation to which the adviser was appointed to assist, or if earlier, immediately following a parliamentary general election.'
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff highest paid special adviser
Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff is the highest paid Government special adviser, new figures have indicated. Morgan McSweeney is paid between £155,000 and £159,999, according to data released by the Cabinet Office on Thursday. A raft of other senior Number 10 advisers, also known as spads, occupy the next highest pay rung on salaries between £145,000 and £149,999, as well as the Chancellor's top economic adviser. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell is also within the same pay bracket. Veteran diplomat Mr Powell was appointed as a special adviser in a political capacity last year, a break from the norm which saw previous post-holders taken on as civil servants. Overall the pay bill for spads in the 2024/25 was £16.7 million, but this included £3.1 million in severance costs, which would have covered outgoing advisers from the previous Conservative government. The salary bill was £9.5 million, lower than the £10 million spent in the previous year, while national insurance contributions have increased from £1.3 million to £1.6 million over the same period. According to the Government's release, as of March 31 there were 130 special advisers across the Government. Salaries over £76,000 are declared in bands of £5,000. Mr McSweeney was the only person in the £155,000 to £159,999 band.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff highest paid special adviser
Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff is the highest paid Government special adviser, new figures have indicated. Morgan McSweeney is paid between £155,000 and £159,999, according to data released by the Cabinet Office on Thursday. A raft of other senior Number 10 advisers, also known as spads, occupy the next highest pay rung on salaries between £145,000 and £149,999, as well as the Chancellor's top economic adviser. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell is also within the same pay bracket. Veteran diplomat Mr Powell was appointed as a special adviser in a political capacity last year, a break from the norm which saw previous post-holders taken on as civil servants. Overall the pay bill for spads in the 2024/25 was £16.7 million, but this included £3.1 million in severance costs, which would have covered outgoing advisers from the previous Conservative government. The salary bill was £9.5 million, lower than the £10 million spent in the previous year, while national insurance contributions have increased from £1.3 million to £1.6 million over the same period. According to the Government's release, as of March 31 there were 130 special advisers across the Government. Salaries over £76,000 are declared in bands of £5,000. Mr McSweeney was the only person in the £155,000 to £159,999 band.
Irish Times
30-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Six ministerial advisers sought shorter cooling-off periods for private-sector jobs after political roles
Six former special advisers to government ministers sought exemptions last year from the 'cooling-off' period during which they cannot lobby, the Register of Lobbying annual report for 2024 has disclosed. It is the highest number of waivers sought since 2020, when eight applications were received to waive the prohibition on lobbying after stepping down from employment with government. The identities of the six special advisers were not disclosed by the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo), the public ethics watchdog, in the report. Special advisers to ministers are restricted from engaging in lobbying in certain circumstances for a year after they leave office. READ MORE A large number of special advisers left their roles in 2020 after that year's general election and at the end of last January following the 2024 general election. It is expected a significant number of waivers will be sought this year. Advisers, ministers, and senior public officials who leave employment to take up roles in the private or non-government sectors are subject to a cooling-off period. During that time they cannot engage in lobbying activities connected to their former employment or roles in the public service. [ Former taoisigh among steady stream of politicians turning to lucrative career in PR-lobbying firms ] The watchdog's report refers to a case study involving an unnamed special adviser who took up a position with a charity and applied to waive the final four months of the cooling-off period. The applicant confirmed they would not be involved in any lobbying activity for the last four months of the period, so a waiver was granted. There were three applications for waivers in 2023, none in 2022, five in 2021 and eight in 2020. No minister has sought to have the cooling-off period waived since 2016. Three former public servants were granted exemptions from the cooling-off period, all in 2016 and 2017. The annual report also reveals the total number of people registered as lobbyists increased to 2,710 last year, an increase of 172 on 2023. More than 12,300 returns of lobbying activities had been submitted in respect of the three reporting periods in 2024. The top policy matter subject to lobbying in 2024 was health, followed by economic development and industry, agriculture, justice and equality, and housing. Three investigations into possible unreported lobbying were carried over from 2023 to 2024, and one further investigation was launched during the year. The complaints and investigations unit closed one of these cases, leaving three ongoing at the end of 2024. A total of 414 fixed-payment notices for late returns were issued in 2024. Of these, 169 were for late returns in periods before 2024. A total of 27 notices of potential prosecution were issued in 2024 for non-payment of fixed payment notices.
