Morgan McSweeney: Who is new Downing Street chief of staff? Election guru who led Labour to victory

Sue Gray announced on Sunday, October 6 that she would be stepping down as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. It came after a row ignited over her pay, which was reported to be higher than that of the Prime Minister.

Moving into the role is Morgan McSweeney, who previously served as Labour’s general election direction and us credited with being part of the team that lead Labour to a landslide victory in July. Here’s everything you need to know about him.

Who is Morgan McSweeney?

Morgan McSweeney was born in County Cork in Ireland in the late 1970s. He moved to London at the age of 17.

His start in politics came in 1997, when he joined the Labour Party as a result of the Good Friday agreement. He would go on to work under Peter Mandleson as well as campaigning as part of the 2005 general election.

He joined Steve Reed to campaign for the Lambeth London Borough Council election in 2006, and would later serve as his chief of staff.

McSweeney’s campaigning drew attention between 2008 and 2010 when he joined the campaign against the British National Party in Barking and Dagenham. The campaign was successful, with Labour defeating the BNP in the seat in the 2010 general election.

Later in his career, McSweeney became the director of the think tank Labour Together, which aimed to shift the party away from the hard left and Corbynism. During his time at the think tank, McSweeney developed a three-year plan that would see Sir Keir Starmer replace Corbyn as leader and eventually become Prime Minister.

He began working with Starmer during his 2020 leadership campaign, which McSweeney ran. As a result, he was immediately chosen as Starmer’s chief of staff, a role held until 2021 when he was moved to a “strategic” advisory role.

He was made Labour’s director of campaigns in 2021, and was made head of political strategy following his major role in Labour’s 2024 landslide general election win. He will not take up the position of chief of staff.

Is Morgan McSweeney married?

McSweeney resides in Scotland alongside wife Imogen Walker. Walker is a Labour MP who was first elected into parliament during the 2024 election in the Hamilton and Clyde Valley seat.

Walker is also a prominent animal rights activist and has also served as a parliamentary private secretary to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. The couple have one son together.