Sue Gray, Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff and closest adviser in Downing Street, has revealed details about the early months of the British government, describing the atmosphere in the prime minister’s office as “intolerable”. She said she had formed the impression that colleagues might be recording her conversations and later sending them to the media.
Të lidhura
None found
In an interview for the Political Currency podcast, Gray spoke at length about her brief time in Downing Street and the conflicts that accompanied the start of Starmer’s administration.
Gray, who left her post in 2024 after serving as the prime minister’s chief adviser, said she had been particularly disappointed that Starmer had not responded more forcefully to information that, in her view, was being leaked by his staff to journalists.
“There came a point when, whatever you said, you felt as though someone was recording you,” she said. According to Gray, that period was marked by successive leaks to the media and internal clashes within the prime minister’s team.
At the time, it was reported, among other things, that Gray had asked for Morgan McSweeney, one of Starmer’s closest associates, to be moved away from the area near the prime minister’s office.
Gray rejected that account, explaining that her proposal had only concerned finding more suitable premises, since a small office had to accommodate a large number of employees.
She said she had raised her concerns several times in conversations with Starmer, but declined to disclose the content of their private communications. However, Gray said she felt “disappointed that more was not done” to curb the leaks.
“For me, the atmosphere was undoubtedly intolerable,” she said, describing that period as “very, very difficult”.
The former adviser’s account has once again drawn attention to the tensions that engulfed Downing Street during the early months of Starmer’s government.
The media published a series of reports at the time about divisions within the prime minister’s team. They included stories about Gray’s salary, which was higher than Starmer’s own, as well as about her relationships with some of the senior advisers.
Gray has also spoken about a culture she described as a “men’s club” in Downing Street. This description has been disputed by several former female advisers who worked there during the same period.
One of them described as “paranoia” the claim that information had been deliberately leaked about Gray, while another said she had not encountered any “men’s club” during her time working in Downing Street.
Sue Gray spent around four months as Starmer’s chief of staff, although she had played an important role in Labour’s preparations to take power. After her departure, Morgan McSweeney took over the role.
Starmer has previously said that appointing Gray was a mistake. Meanwhile, his allies have criticised the former adviser over the way preparations for governing were carried out, particularly in connection with the plan for the first 100 days.
Gray has defended the preparatory work she carried out, saying that extensive work had been done on issues including British-Irish relations, cooperation with the European Commission and the US administration.
Analysing the problems that emerged at the beginning of the Starmer government, she said the experience had convinced her that moving from opposition into government required the involvement of people with more experience.
“Government and opposition are two very different things,” Gray said, stressing that responsibility for communications, policy and strategy should be entrusted to people with “greater experience”.
Gray, who is now a member of the House of Lords, has said that for the time being she is not considering an immediate return to a senior government position, as she is enjoying life outside government.
