4 days ago
Sue Gray joins forces with Gary Neville
Sue Gray has joined forces with Gary Neville after being appointed chairman of a multinational advisory firm.
The former chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer has joined Consello UK, months after being forced out of No 10.
Baroness Gray, who was given a place in the House of Lords in February, became a household name when she led the investigation into 'partygate '.
Neville, the former Manchester United footballer, is chairman of Consello Strive UK, which is part of the Consello group of companies.
The US-headquartered firm advises companies on growth and investment.
Baroness Gray said she was 'delighted' to join the business.
'What Declan [Kelly, the chief executive] and his colleagues have accomplished in building the company to date is very impressive and I look forward to further supporting that growth in the UK and globally,' she said.
Baroness Gray has made the move into the corporate world after leaving No 10 in October last year.
She rose to fame as the head of the 'partygate' investigation, which laid bare the rule-breaking in No 10 during the Covid pandemic.
She was appointed by Sir Keir as chief of staff in March 2023 when he was leader of the Opposition.
The move was controversial because, months earlier, she had written an official report into the partygate allegations, which contributed to Boris Johnson's resignation as prime minister.
Upon entering Downing Street, a power struggle broke out between Baroness Gray and other aides.
In the role, she was paid a taxpayer-funded salary of £170,000 – meaning she was on £3,000 more than Sir Keir.
She was ousted in October last year after losing out to Morgan McSweeney, a long-standing Labour insider who ran the party's general election campaign, who took her position.
Downing Street announced she would become the Prime Minister's envoy for the nations and regions, but she did not take up the role.
Friends said she had declined the position, but a No 10 source said Sir Keir was planning to rescind the offer because he was concerned about the media attention she would receive in the role.
Declan Kelly, chief executive and chairman of Consello, said: 'Sue brings unparalleled insight from her decades of leadership in government service.
'Our entire team, as well as our clients, will benefit from her experience in countless ways and we are thrilled to welcome her to Consello.'
