Sue Gray (political adviser)

Sue Gray
Official portrait, c. 2021
Downing Street Chief of Staff
Incumbent
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 – 5 July 2024
Leader	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Sam White (2022)
Second Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office
In office 24 May 2021 – 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 66–67)[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.