Sue Gray (political adviser)

Sue Gray
Official portrait, c. 2021
Downing Street Chief of Staff
In office
5 July 2024 – 6 October 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byLiam Booth-Smith
Succeeded byMorgan McSweeney
Envoy to the Prime Minister for the Nations and Regions
In office
6 October 2024 – 18 November 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byOffice established
Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition
In office
1 September 2023 – 5 July 2024
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded bySam White (2022)
Second Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office
In office
24 May 2021 – 2 March 2023
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterMichael Gove
Steve Barclay
Kit Malthouse
Nadhim Zahawi
Oliver Dowden
Preceded byJames Bowler
Personal details
Born1957 (age 66–67)
North London, England
Political partyLabour (since 2023)
SpouseBill Conlon[1]
ChildrenLiam Conlon
OccupationPolitical adviser
former civil servant
Signature
WebsiteGovernment profile

Susan Gray (born 1957) is a British special adviser and former civil servant who served as Downing Street Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Keir Starmer from July to October 2024,[2] having previously served under Starmer as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition from 2023 to 2024. She has served as Envoy to the Prime Minister for the Nations and Regions since 6 October 2024.

She served from May 2021 to March 2023 as Second Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office, where she reported to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Her report into the Partygate scandal criticised the government led by Boris Johnson and contributed to his resignation as Prime Minister and ultimately to leaving Parliament.

She resigned from the Civil Service in March 2023 to take up a job as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer. Her appointment provoked substantial controversy, and a Cabinet Office inquiry found that she had broken the Civil Service code. She was subject to scrutiny by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), whose advice enabled her to work for the Labour Party from September 2023.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Times1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Sue Gray - Downing Street Chief of Staff and former Partygate investigator - resigns". LBC. Retrieved 6 October 2024.