And it comes alongside the exit of Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, who was forced to leave government following a damning probe into her financial affairs, triggering a government-wide reshuffle.
Earlier this year, Gustafsson faced scrutiny after POLITICO reported on her rapid-fire appointment to the House of Lords to take on the gig, despite her involvement in two highly complex fraud cases. Two industry figures said Gustafsson had grown exasperated at the slow pace of government and an inability to get decisions over the line.
A U.K. lobbyist, granted anonymity to speak freely, said her team had stopped responding “a week or so ago to efforts planning engagement with a major investor,” though the team assumed that was a result of general administrative delays.
Gustafsson was noticeably absent when ministers announced a tranche of investment at the GREAT Futures summit on Thursday in London with a major Saudi delegation.
Former Investment Minister Dominic Johnson called her departure “a loss” for Britain. The Conservative politician said she was “exactly the sort of person who we needed to promote the U.K,” given her “deep knowledge of the future tech industries we want to flourish.”
He added: “It must have been an impossible task trying to attract investors when the government’s policies ran counter to that.”
This developing story is being updated. Emilio Casalicchio contributed to this report.