After heading the Makerfield by-election comms team, Grace Pritchard was singled out by Andy Burnham as being a key part of his northern campaign team. The self-styled 'Yorkshire lass' is now the Prime Minister's Political Spokesperson and Director of News at Downing Street.
Grace Pritchard has been appointed as Director of News and the Prime Minister’s Political Spokesperson, working closely with Prime Minister Andy Burnham. She was previously loaned out by Ed Miliband to lead Burnham’s comms director for his successful Makerfield by-election.
After playing a central role in securing Burnham’s return to parliament, Pritchard was singled out by name during Burnham’s victory speech, where he told her on stage that she had been “absolutely brilliant” as part of his core northern campaign team.
“Grace is the best — widely respected as one of the sharpest comms people in the party,” one senior Labour colleague told Politico.
Describing herself as a “Yorkshire lass” on her social media, along with posting photos of her beloved dog at polling stations Pritchard has risen through the ranks from regional campaign roles and think-tank communications to become a pivotal figure in the new Downing Street comms team.
Pritchard first came to wider media attention back in 2023 when she worked for shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper’s constituency office in Castleford, West Yorkshire.
Her role then reported to Jo Coles, Cooper’s chief of staff and a former head of comms and campaigns at Crest Advisory. Coles is now Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
Prior to working for Yvette Cooper. Pritchard was a key figure within the anti-Brexit “Best for Britain” press team. She led on digital comms for the All Party Parliamentary Group on COVID-19 and the UK Trade and Business Commission. She was promoted to head of comms in 2022.
Pritchard graduated with a degree in political science and government from the University of York in 2019. She joined Best for Britain as a digital campaigns officer in 2020.
Her road to the top job as Burnham’s political spokesperson began when she got noticed working for Ed Miliband, now foreign secretary. She was appointed as a special adviser to Cabinet Minister Ed Miliband at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in October 2025. She was then “seconded” from Miliband’s team in May 2026 to run the press operation for Andy Burnham’s high-stakes Makerfield by-election campaign.
As Director of News and official political spokesperson for the PM inside the new Downing Street administration, Pritchard works alongside other senior comms colleagues including press secretary John Stevens and director of communications Sarah Brown to manage the daily media strategy.
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