Sue Gray has resigned as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, it has been announced today, and will take up a new role in government. The outgoing chief of staff said the decision to step down came as a result of “intense commentary” around her position, admitting it risked becoming a “distraction to the government’s vital work of change”.

Ms. Gray, chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said she was stepping down after sustained news media attention over her pay and status.

Sir Keir Starmer has attempted to regain control over his misfiring administration by ousting his chief of staff in the wake of an ongoing briefing war at the heart of No 10. The Prime Minister swiftly appointed his head of political strategy Morgan McSweeney to become his most senior adviser.

Sue Gray resigned as chief of staff to prime minister Keir Starmer on 6 October. What can HR leaders learn from the lead up to this resignation, about how to handle internal and media scrutiny?

Morgan McSweeney quashed leftwing factions in Lambeth and helped see off the BNP in Barking before coming to work for Sir Keir Starmer

Downing Street denied Keir Starmer has a “woman problem” after the departure of his most senior female aide. Sue Gray has been given a “vital” new role looking after the nations and regions, No 10 insisted after her sudden departure from the chief of staff role on Sunday.

Today, we look at the resignation of Sue Gray as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. Why has Gray gone now? What does this tell us about how well Downing Street is working? Who will replace her? Alex and Chris are joined by the programme director at the Institute of Government Alex Thomas.

Sue Gray has resigned as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, saying that “intense commentary” around her position had become a “distraction”. The special adviser became a household name in 2022 when she headed a report into the Partygate scandal,

It was back in June 2020 when Sir Keir Starmer first declared that Boris Johnson must “get a grip” on Downing Street. Until that moment, Sir Keir had attempted to give the government the benefit of the doubt on its handling of the Covid pandemic.