Wes Streeting has joked that Sir Keir Starmer’s embattled senior aide Sue Gray had “shot JFK” and “no one should earn more than the Prime Minister” amid a row over her salary.
The health secretary made light of suggestions of mounting acrimony at the heart of government as he spoke at an event on the sidelines of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Speaking to a crowd at the gathering hosted by think tank Labour Together, Mr Streeting: “I want to welcome the BBC’s conviction that no one should be paid more than the Prime Minister, that no one should receive hospitality, and that we should judge performance on social media mentions.
“Be careful what we wish for, comrades.”
He added: “It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Sue Gray is hiding Lord Lucan and shot JFK, and I can’t even tell you what she did to Shergar.
“I don’t know how we’re going to recover from this, frankly.”
In recent weeks, Ms Gray has been the subject of a series of furious briefings signalling a growing rift in Sir Keir’s Downing Street operation.
Leaks about her £170,000 salary have contributed to reports of a fractious atmosphere inside No10 less than three months after Labour came to power.
The row, alongside a lingering backlash over the acceptance of luxury gifts from wealthy donors by senior MPs, had threatened to overshadow Labour’s annual conference.
Sir Keir has insisted he is “completely in control” despite the briefings, while Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner earlier on Sunday said she was angered by attempts “to demonise workers in their workplace through the press and the media”.
But there has consistently been surprise over Ms Gray’s influence in making appointments to senior jobs and her presence on Sir Keir’s recent trip to Washington DC to discuss the war in Ukraine and Middle East with Joe Biden.
Mr Streeting’s remarks came ahead of the second day of Labour conference, which chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to use to turn the page on her doom and gloom messaging, promising that a brighter future awaits if she can restore stability to the public finances.
She will also pledge that there will be “no return to austerity” under Labour, adding that “I can see the prize on offer if we make the right choices now”.
The chancellor will attempt to reset the narrative by insisting that she is “optimistic” for Britain.