When Sir Keir Starmer first approached Sue Gray early last year to be his chief of staff, he believed the veteran civil servant would bring her long Whitehall experience to Labour’s preparations for government.

Keir Starmer has endured a rough first three months in power, with his administration overwhelmed by controversies over donations, infighting and mounting gloom about the UK’s public finances. On Sunday,

As the brains behind Starmer’s leadership campaign, McSweeney (47) is credited with having brought the prime minister to power. He entered No 10 as head of political strategy, in charge of charting the party’s path to another victory in five years’ time.