Sue Gray appointment ‘undermines’ First Minister’s relationship with Starmer – Plaid leader

Emily Price 

The First Minister has been accused of allowing herself to be “relegated” after Keir Starmer appointed his former chief of staff as special envoy to the nations and regions.

In a heated exchange during FMQs on Tuesday (October 8), Eluned Morgan hit back over the comments from Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accusing him of living in a “fairytale” and “making up nonsense”

Mr ap Iorwerth quizzed Baroness Morgan on what discussions she had with the Prime Minister regarding the appointment of Sue Gray as a special envoy.

Ms Gray left her Downing Street job last week citing fears that she had become a distraction.

A civil servant for decades, she was catapulted from the anonymity of Whitehall to front-page news when she headed up the investigation into lockdown parties in Number 10.

‘Terrible’

She then faced criticism from Tories who questioned the impartiality of the civil service when she quit to take up the chief of staff job while Labour were in opposition.

On Sunday, Ms Gray announced that she was “pleased to have accepted a new role as the Prime Minister’s envoy for the regions and nations” – a role which has yet to be defined.

Mr ap Iorwerth said the “terrible” appointment “undermines” the ability of a Welsh First Minister to have a direct relationship with the Prime Minister.

Speaking in the Chamber, he said: “This also undermines the Welsh Secretary because neither the First Minister nor the Labour Welsh Secretary are now the first point of contact for Keir Starmer when it comes to dealing with Wales.”

He said the First Minister would now be forced to take orders from someone who is “unwanted” by Sir Keir and “unelected” by the public.

‘Fairytale’

Baroness Morgan said Plaid’s leader was “making up nonsense” adding that she had a “direct relationship” with the PM.

She said: “I don’t know what fairytale land you are living in but I’m meeting the Prime Minister on Friday. I’m going to be having a one to one meeting with Keir Starmer.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve mentioned this today, it’s the 27th time he [Mr ap Iorwerth] has mentioned his name in the three weeks we have been meeting since the summer.”

Plaid’s leader said the only thing being “made up” was jobs for people that Keir Starmer no longer wanted in his top team, so that he can “hive off responsibility for having to deal with Wales”.

He added that he had mentioned Starmer hundreds of times in the Senedd because the Prime Minister was “treating Wales unfairly”.

HS2

He said: “If she doesn’t want me to mention him, she should tell her boss not to make announcement after announcement affecting Wales.

“From cuts to winter fuel payments, or dodgy cross-border health deals that her own Cabinet Member for health clearly wants nothing to do with. All these decisions can have a real impact on the lives of the people of Wales.”

Baroness Morgan argued her role in the Senedd is to be held to account for the decisions made in Wales and “not decisions that are made in a different establishment”.

Mr ap Iorwerth said that with the UK Government’s budget three weeks away the people of Wales will expect the First Minister to be making the case for a fair deal on HS2 consequentials, the devolution of the Crown Estate and a windfall tax on large energy companies.

He pressed the First Minister to reveal what conversations she has had with the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and what she’s pressed for to be included in the budget.

Baroness Morgan said: “I have had a meeting with Rachel Reeves in a political capacity and we have had a meeting with the previous finance minister and we did have an opportunity to note these things.

“And yes the issue of Hs2 was raised and will be something we continue to raise because there was a fundamental unfairness in the way that HS2 was funded.”