Sue Gray, who served as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff until her resignation in 2024, has publicly characterized her time in Downing Street as “unbearable.” In an interview with the Political Currency podcast, Gray detailed a difficult working environment, noting that she frequently feared her private conversations were being recorded by colleagues who intended to leak her comments to the press.

Gray expressed significant frustration with the internal culture, specifically highlighting her disappointment that Starmer did not take stronger action to address staff members who were briefing journalists against her. As the most powerful adviser in the office during her tenure, Gray’s comments provide a rare look into the internal friction that preceded her departure. While The Guardian reports extensively on these claims of internal sabotage and the lack of leadership intervention, The Independent focuses more briefly on her transition to the House of Lords, noting she was among 30 new Labour peers announced last December. The accounts agree that the working relationship and environment became untenable, though they differ in their emphasis on the broader political context of her subsequent peerage versus the specific grievances regarding her time in office.