Sue Gray decided not to take up regions envoy role – No 10

Former Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray has “decided not to take up the role” of envoy to the nations and regions, No 10 has said.

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

This followed reports of a power struggle within Downing Street between Ms Gray and other aides close to the Prime Minister.

The ex-chief of staff was said to be taking a holiday before starting her job as envoy, after she faced intense scrutiny in the media.

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

Asked whether the job offer was withdrawn or if Ms Gray walked away, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: “As we said at the time, the appointment had been agreed and you had the focus for the new role and the original statements from both the Prime Minister and Sue Gray.

“Subsequent to that, we confirmed that she was taking a break between roles and taking up duties and, as I said, I can update that she has since decided not to take up the role.”

Downing Street said there were “no plans” for further updates on whether the envoy position might be taken up by someone else.

The spokeswoman said: “We will keep that role under review in terms of ensuring we have the right processes and support in place for the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and CDL (Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster), given the priority that we place on the regions and nations.

“I don’t have any immediate plans to update you on as to further recruitment, but to be very clear, resetting our relationships and working with the regions and nations has been at the heart of everything the Government does.”

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

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

But her future in the job was cast into doubt not long after she resigned as chief of staff, when she failed to appear at the first summit between the Government and leaders from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English regions.

Asked why there were no plans to fill the role given it was previously described as “vital” to Government, No 10 said Ms Gray had been “uniquely placed” to hold the position and repeated that the role would be kept “under review”.

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 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.”

The former aide 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.