Labour’s newly recruited special advisers, or “spads”, have joined a union due to concerns over their pay.

These aides, working in Downing Street or for cabinet ministers, claim they are not being compensated as equitably as their Conservative predecessors.

Concerns were particularly directed towards Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Sue Gray, who was perceived to have dented morale among the aides.

However, it was Rishi Sunak who initially introduced strict probation periods, not the Labour Party.

The Tory government had also blocked a 3% pay increase for special advisers, instead providing a lump sum, causing real-terms pay cuts over the years.

This stagnant pay, ranging from £40,000 to £145,000, has prompted discontent among Labour’s spads, many of whom accuse the current government of failing to address these long-standing issues.

A review into their pay scales has been launched by the Cabinet Office, spurred by union officials.