The Popular Party politician who was Mariano Rajoy's chief of staff for six years, Jorge Moragas, was a force behind the growth of the anti-independence platform Catalan Civil Society (SCC), according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Moreover, the vice-president of the Catalan group, Miriam Tey, is the sister-in-law of Moragas, says the Madrid daily.
"With the separatist challenge, the streets of Barcelona have become covered Spanish flags. Constitutionalist forces, who had previously remained quiet out of fear of the secessionist steamroller, rebelled against the establishment. In this they were pushed by Catalan Civil Society, the association promoted by Moragas and of which his sister-in-law Miriam Tey is vice president", says El Mundo.
Moragas, considered Mariano Rajoy's main advisor on Catalan questions, resigned from his post as the Spanish prime minister's chief of staff following the Catalan elections on 21st December. In those elections the PP obtained just 4 seats and finished last.
Moragas has now been designated Spain's ambassador to the UN.