Sue Gray, Starmer's chief of staff, has been criticised over her £170,000 salary.
Keir Starmer has given Sue Gray a seat in the House of Lords just weeks after sacking her as his chief of staff.
The former top civil servant was ousted as part of a shake-up of No.10 in October, less than 100 days after the general election.
It came after weeks of behind-the-scenes rows and reports of bad blood between her and Morgan McSweeney, the Downing Street head of strategy who was then given her old job.