Keir Starmer Gives Life Peerage To Former Chief Of Staff Sue Gray

Gray, the former senior civil servant who led an investigation into parties held in Downing Street during the pandemic, played a key role in Labour's preparations for government.

She resigned as the Prime Minister's chief of staff in October, however, before being replaced by Morgan McSweeney.

It emerged prior to her resignation that her £170,000 annual salary was larger than the PM's.

Gray was one of thirty people to be nominated for peerages by Starmer.

The Prime Minister put forward former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones, ex-Labour shadow cabinet minister Thangam Debbonaire and Labour's former general secretary David Evans to join the House of Lords. 

Former Labour MPs Luciana Berger, Kevin Brennan and Lyn Brown are also on the list.

Starmer has previously set out a long-term commitment to abolish the unelected chamber.

Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch nominated six people for a life peerage, including Dame Thérèse Coffey – the former MP who serrved as deputy to former prime minister Liz Truss – and her director of strategy Rachel Maclean, a former Conservative minister.

Toby Young – founder and director of the Free Speech Union – was also nominated by the leader of the Conservative party. 

Full list of those nominated for a life peerage:

Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party:

Professor Wendy Alexander FRSE – Vice Chair of the British Council, former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North and previously Labour Leader in the Scottish Parliament.

Sir Brendan Barber – former General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress and former chair of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Luciana Berger – former Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree and current Chair of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Mary Bousted – formerly the Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), and education policy adviser.

Kevin Brennan – former Member of Parliament for Cardiff West and former Minister of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Lyn Brown – former Member of Parliament for West Ham and former Shadow Minister.

Dinah Caine OBE CBE – Chair of Camden STEAM, formerly Chair of Goldsmiths University and CEO and Chair of Creative Skillset.

Kay Carberry CBE – former Assistant General Secretary of the British Trades Union Congress (TUC).

Margaret Curran – former Member of Parliament for Glasgow East and formerly Minister within the Scottish Executive.

Thangam Debbonaire – former Member of Parliament for Bristol West and former Shadow Secretary of State.

Julie Elliott – former Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central and former Shadow Minister.

David Evans – former Labour Party Regional Director, Assistant General Secretary and General Secretary of the Labour Party 2020-2024.

Sue Gray – former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister and former Cabinet Office Second Permanent Secretary.

Theresa Griffin – former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England.

Anji Hunter – Senior Advisor at Edelman, and former Head of Government Relations in Downing Street.

Carwyn Jones – former Member of the Senedd (MS) for Bridgend and First Minister of Wales.

Mike Katz – National Chair of Jewish Labour Movement and a former Camden Councillor.

Gerard Lemos CMG CBE – Social Policy expert and Chair of English Heritage, Chair of National Savings & Investments (NS&I), and Chair of London Institute of Banking and Finance.

Alison Levitt KC – Master of the Bench of the Inner Temple. Previously Principal Legal Advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions and a Circuit Judge specialising in serious crime, including rape.

Anne Longfield CBE – Campaigner for children and formerly served as the Children’s Commissioner for England. Founder and Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives.

Deborah Mattinson – former Director of Strategy to Sir Keir Starmer. Co-founder of BritainThinks.

Steve McCabe – former Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green and Birmingham Selly Oak, and former Government Whip.

Claude Moraes OBE – former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London and chair of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

Wendy Nichols – UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Convenor and Branch Secretary and Labour Councillor.

Simon Pitkeathley – Currently the Chief Executive of Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town, formerly the Mayor of London’s ‘Champion for Small Business’.

Dame Anne Marie Rafferty DBE FRCN – Professor of nursing policy and former President of the Royal College of Nursing.

Krish Raval OBE – Founding Director of Faith in Leadership.

Marvin Rees OBE – former Mayor of Bristol and Head of Bristol City Council. Former journalist, voluntary sector manager and NHS public health manager.

Revd Dr Russell David Rook OBE – Partner at the Good Faith Partnership and Anglican priest.

Phil Wilson – former Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, and former Opposition Assistant Whip.

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party:

Nigel Biggar CBE – Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and Anglican priest.

Joanne Cash – Co-founder of Parent Gym and barrister serving as the Southeastern Circuit Junior and a member of the Bar Human Rights Committee.

Rt Hon Dame Thérèse Coffey PhD – former Deputy Prime Minister and former Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal.

Roger Evans – former Deputy Mayor of London and former member of the London Assembly for Havering and Redbridge.

Rachel Maclean – former Member of Parliament for Redditch and former Minister of State for Housing and Planning.

Toby Young – founder and director of the Free Speech Union, and an associate editor of The Spectator.

Nominations from the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party:

Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed MBE – former Sheffield City Councillor and chair of the Liberal Democrat Carers Commission.

Dr Mark Pack – former President of the Liberal Democrats.

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