PM’s top aide suspended pending investigation
Jason Stein – a special adviser to the PM, has been suspended and will be investigated over briefings to a newspaper.
There has been anger from Tory backbench MPs about briefings from No 10 sources over the weekend, according to the BBC.
Jason Stein had previously worked with the PM when she was chief secretary to the Treasury before he became a special advisor to Amber Rudd. He had also worked for the PM during her Tory leadership campaign. Before this, he had worked for Prince Andrew.
The PM’s spokesperson told reporters: “The prime minister has made it very clear that some of the briefings are completely unacceptable and must stop.”
The message from the spokesperson was a reference to briefings to newspapers from those around her who can speak on her behalf, which contained strong language.
This weekend, the Sunday Times reported that the PM was of the view that her former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid was “shit.”
The Sunday Times said a “No 10 source” rejected the idea that Sajid Javid had been considered rather than Jeremy Hunt to replace Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor.
“The prime minister laughed out loud at the suggestion,” the source reportedly said. “She has sat in the cabinet with Javid for 10 years and she knows who is good and who is shit.”
Stein will face a probe from the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team.