Well, that was quick. As Keir Starmer nears his 100 days milestone, a pinnacle used by incoming governments to declare their early successes and point to a settled first year of power, the first major ouster of the Keir era has hit: the woman who was brought in to professionalise Labour’s restoration to power.

Sue Gray’s resignation, amid controversy over her role and unwise decision to accept a salary higher than the PM, is the result of much internal agitation over her handling of who should receive key advisory roles and on what terms in the politically fraught “org chart”.

In essence, the stand-off between Gray and Morgan McSweeney, the campaigns chief credited by Starmer with producing a large majority and ensuring message discipline, was about the spoils of victory.

Both believed they should have preferential access to Starmer, which infected every decision, even as far as the geo-location of desks outside the Prime Minister’s door, and in the wider picture, a feud over how the delivery of Starmer’s plans and changes should be set up.

The growing gap resulted in a culture of leaks and rows (Gray’s salary was divulged by an unknown source to the BBC in the hope of damaging her) and as one insider who texts me says, “opened up fissures about every decision, tiny and major – it just could not go on”.

With Gray’s head on the block and many roles unfilled, including the resignation on health grounds (and after rows with Gray) of Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary, the historian of Downing........

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