Former Labour peer and Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray says the working environment in Keir Starmer’s No.10 was “unbearable”. In interviews with UK media, she describes feeling personally affected by the conditions and says she feared colleagues were recording her conversations and leaking remarks to journalists.
Gray says she raised concerns with Starmer but was “disappointed” he did not respond. She also argues that advisers should not become the focus of political stories, adding that she says none of the briefing against her came from her. The outlets also note the wider context of her short tenure: she served as chief of staff for less than three months after Labour’s 2024 election win and quit in October 2024, citing speculation as a distraction.
Reporting across outlets further links her departure to disputes and leaks within No.10, including her replacement by Morgan McSweeney and subsequent issues involving the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. The accounts also reference Starmer’s later remarks that appointing Gray was his “wrong” judgement and that she was not the right person for the job.
