Avoid the meme

As BBC Political Editor, there's a role giving guidance, assessing importance of stories, and providing context, usually based on lengthy experience. 

Chris Mason is a great communicator, and a politics nerd. He has doubled down on the Sue Grey salary story, saying it's really about important ructions within the Starmer administration. He needs to evidence that a bit more. 

In the last disclosed list of 'senior officials salaries' above £150k, from 2023, no less than 372 were paid more than Keir Starmer's current rate; presumably there are more now. "Paid more than the Prime Minister" is a Fleet Street meme... 

"At least four council bosses around the country are paid more than the Prime Minister, despite their areas facing financial ruin", Telegraph September 2023

"Named: 172 civil servants paid more than the Prime Minister" Daily Mail June 2010

"The Bank of England was last night accused of hypocrisy after it emerged that 141 of its staff are paid more than the Prime Minister." Daily Mail June 2015

"Dozens of London hospital bosses are being paid more than the Prime Minister - despite some of them racking up record levels of NHS debt, it emerged today." Daily Mail September 2015

"The number of town hall bosses paid more than the Prime Minister has soared – as households are hit by huge council tax rises. " Daily Mail April 2012. 

So if the real story is that people working under Sue Grey are unhappy, let's know exactly how many, what specifically they are grumpy about, and how it ranks with those who were grumpy with Alastair Campbell and Dominic Cummings in previous administrations.