Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff received a pay rise after the election which means she is now paid more than the prime minister.
The BBC has been told that Sue Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 – £3,000 more than the PM and more than any cabinet minister – or her Conservative predecessor.
One 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.”
A government source close to Ms Gray said this claim was “categorically untrue” and she had “had no involvement in any decision on her pay”.