Sue Gray will not take up new regions role after resignation as PM’s top aide

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray will not take up a role as envoy to the nations and regions, it is understood.

Ms Gray was due to take up the new job after she resigned from her position at the heart of Government in October.

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Power struggle

This followed intense media speculation about a power struggle within Downing Street.

The former chief of staff was said to be taking a holiday before taking up her new post.

But on Tuesday it emerged that she will now not be taking up the new role as planned following her break from Government.

Reports in the Guardian newspaper suggested Downing Street was prepared to withdraw the offer, and also said there were concerns about the media attention which would likely follow Ms Gray if she were to accept the role.

But the Financial Times instead claimed Ms Gray rejected the job.

“Sue has taken a decision not to take the role. She’s going to focus on other things,” an ally of the ex-civil servant told the FT.

They added: “She’s taken time to think about it properly, talking to stakeholders, but ultimately she’s decided she doesn’t want to do it.”

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Exit

Previous reporting suggested Ms Gray was negotiating over the terms of the job and her exit from Downing Street.

Downing Street had previously described the envoy to the nations and regions as a “vital role in strengthening our relations with the regions and nations”.

In the job, she would have acted as a go-between for ministers with devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and regional mayors across England.

Ms Gray’s future in the post was cast into doubt not long after she resigned from her job at No 10, after she failed to appear at the first summit between the Government and leaders from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English regions.

The former aide had resigned from Government in early October after reports of a power struggle within Downing Street.

After she stood down, Labour’s head of political strategy Morgan McSweeney became Sir Keir’s chief of staff.

Ms Gray first became a public figure when as a top civil servant she spearheaded the report into the Partygate scandal of Boris Johnson’s ministry.

In March 2023, she resigned from the civil service to take up the chief of staff role for Sir Keir, and was subject to a six-month wait before she was able to begin working for the new Labour Government.