SUE GRAY SAYS WORKING IN STARMER'S GOVERNMENT WAS UNBEARABLE

Sue Gray, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has said working in No 10 was "unbearable" in her first interview since resigning. Gray spoke to Ed Balls on the Political Currency podcast about briefing wars inside the Government, which she described as "very, very difficult" and said led to fears that "someone was recording everything you say". She stated she was "disappointed" that Starmer did not do more to tackle briefings against her to journalists. Gray served as the most senior adviser in the Labour administration for several months in 2024 before being replaced with Morgan McSweeney.

Gray said the briefings against her had begun while Labour was in opposition, where she would "read about things that I would have said or not said", a pattern that continued into government. She expressed the view that as a civil servant and special adviser, people "should be able to speak freely in rooms" without those discussions being briefed to the press. Stories circulated about attempts to move McSweeney to the back of the building, according to Gray's account. She said she could not recall such discussions being leaked in her previous roles.

Gray was a civil servant before joining Starmer's Labour Party. Her comments represent her first public remarks on her departure from the role, which occurred almost two years before the interview was published. The remarks shed light on internal dynamics within the Prime Minister's office during the early months of the Labour administration.