Sue Gray | |
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![]() Official portrait, c. 2021 | |
Downing Street Chief of Staff | |
Assumed office 5 July 2024 | |
Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
Preceded by | Liam Booth-Smith |
Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 1 September 2023 โ 5 July 2024 | |
Leader | Keir Starmer |
Preceded by | Sam White (2022) |
Second Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office | |
In office 24 May 2021 โ 2 March 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Michael Gove Steve Barclay Kit Malthouse Nadhim Zahawi Oliver Dowden |
Preceded by | James Bowler |
Personal details | |
Born | 1957 or 1958 (age 66โ67)[1] London, England[2] |
Political party | Labour (since 2023) |
Spouse | Bill Conlon[2] |
Children | Liam Conlon |
Occupation | Political adviser former civil servant |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | Government profile |
Susan Gray (born 1957 or 1958) is a British special adviser and former civil servant who has served as Downing Street Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Keir Starmer since 2024, having previously served under Starmer as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition from 2023 to 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.