Who is Morgan McSweeney? The man replacing Sue Gray at the heart of Keir Starmer's government

Campaign Director Morgan McSweeney was instantly announced arsenic her replacement. Often described arsenic Labour’s predetermination guru, helium is seen arsenic the mastermind down Sir Keir’s succession from Jeremy Corbyn and the party’s landslide triumph connected July 4.

As 1 of the PM’s closest aides, Mr McSweeney has tremendous power and is present 1 of the astir powerfulness authorities figures successful the country.

Mr McSweeney chopped his teeth successful section government. In 2006 helium organised Labour’s unexpectedly palmy run to prehend power of Lambeth assembly from a Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition. He acted arsenic the main of unit for past assembly person Steve Reed - present the Environment Secretary and MP for Streatham and Croydon North.

During his clip astatine the London borough helium is said to person led the revolt against the section authority's acold near factions. It is besides wherever Mr McSweeney met his woman Imogen Walker, past a Lambeth councillor and present Labour MP for Hamilton and Clyde Valley.

His run enactment past helped spot disconnected the menace from the British National Party (BNP) successful Barking and Dagenham. Between 2008 and 2010, Labour was warring a conflict against the acold close who held a twelve seats connected the council.

Mr McSweeney was connected the frontline arsenic Labour adopted a palmy predetermination strategy focused connected patriotism and tackling transgression and antisocial behaviour to unit retired the BNP.

He aboriginal became caput of the Labour radical astatine the Local Government Association and successful 2015 ran present furniture caput Liz Kendall’s unsuccessful bid to pb the enactment successful a ballot wherever Jeremy Corbyn stormed to victory.

He helped recovered the Think Tank Labour Together wherever helium served arsenic manager earlier joining Sir Keir’s squad successful 2020.

After Sir Keir became person of the opposition, Mr McSweeney oversaw Labour’s run operation.

He acceptable a absorption connected winning backmost erstwhile reddish partition constituencies and plaything seats wherever Brexit-backing voters had abandoned the enactment successful 2019 successful favour of Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party.

Labour rebranded with Union Flag logos and the nationalist anthem was sung astatine the enactment league successful a bid to reassure voters patriotic voters.

At the wide election, the enactment won a immense bulk of 174 seats connected little than 35 per cent of the vote.

Sir Keir’s archetypal 100 days successful authorities person been plagued by infighting and a ungraded implicit a fig of freebies accepted by the PM and his elder ministers.

It emerged that determination was fabrication betwixt Mr McSweeney and Ms Gray successful Number 10.

Ms Gray’s assignment to go the PM’s astir elder governmental adjutant was controversial. Having been a elder civilian she was tasked with penning the Partygate report, which was instrumental successful bringing down Boris Johnson’s government.

Unflattering briefings astir Ms Gray appeared successful the property astir arsenic soon arsenic Sir Keir took power. There were rumours Mr McSweeney had been blocked from getting information briefings by the PM’s main of unit - claims Whitehall officials vehemently denied.

However immoderate were said to person recovered Ms Gray’s “centralisation” of authorities frustrating.

One Labour authorities root told the Guardian said: “There has been a monolithic centralisation nether Sue Gray. Under the past authorities 4 radical controlled what went into the PM’s container and present it’s one.

“Things person slowed down. She’s enactment herself into a presumption wherever she is extraordinarily powerful.

“There’s a suspicion that she’s making a batch of decisions connected the PM’s behalf and that helium wouldn’t needfully hold with them. She’s successful a presumption wherever his successes are going to beryllium attributed to her but she’s overly susceptible erstwhile things spell wrong.”

Few were amazed erstwhile she resigned and was replaced by Mr McSweeney.

Ms Gray said it had been an honour to "play my portion successful the transportation of a Labour government" arsenic Sir Keir's main of staff, some successful absorption and successful No 10.

"However successful caller weeks it has go wide to maine that aggravated commentary astir my presumption risked becoming a distraction to the government’s captious enactment of change," she said.

"It is for that crushed I person chosen to basal aside, and I look guardant to continuing to enactment the premier curate successful my caller role."