When John Spencer, the West Wing actor who plays Leo McGarry, President Bartlett’s chief of staff, visited the UK he was surprised to find senior politicians gushing at him. One told him that his visit was “one of the greatest moments of my life”. Jonathan Powell, then Tony Blair’s chief of staff, even made time to meet him at No 10 to get his advice.
In reality, no one beyond the Westminster bubble would have heard of the Downing Street chief of staff until Dominic Cummings made the headlines under Boris Johnson. More recently, the role has been in the spotlight again after Sue Gray lasted less than 100 days in government.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
