If Keir Starmer thought that his recent Downing Street reshuffle would project a sense of order and strategic competence, he was quickly proven wrong.
Just days earlier, officials reportedly insisted that any reshuffle plans “had been put on ice.”
Yet by yesterday morning, dismissals and promotions were underway, leaving many Cabinet members scrambling to understand what was happening—sometimes learning the news from social media.
“One minister told me, ‘The first I knew was when I saw it on Twitter,’” a source revealed, highlighting the chaotic communication within the administration.
Starmer’s Focus on Comms Over Governance
Two major takeaways emerge from this latest upheaval. First, Starmer appears to be prioritising his own economic advisers over Chancellor Rachel Reeves, a development that could spell trouble for her political standing.
Second, the reshuffle suggests Starmer is more concerned about the government’s messaging—or “comms”—than the core business of governing.
As one minister bluntly put it: “Oh, it’s simple. Rachel is f***ed.”
Darren Jones Moves Amid Panic
Perhaps the most striking change was Darren Jones’s shift from Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the newly created role of Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Many saw this as a panicked response to polling showing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK leading Labour by 15 percent.
Jones’s appointment puzzled Labour MPs. Known for a stringent public spending review that forced nearly every department to cut budgets by 15 percent, he is reportedly one of the least popular Cabinet members.
“Darren is the most unpopular member of the Cabinet because of the way that review was conducted,” one source said, calling the move inexplicable and likely to raise eyebrows both inside and outside Parliament.
Comms Chaos Continues
The second major change saw James Lyons, an experienced journalist, ousted as Director of Communications after just five months.
Lyons’s predecessor, Matthew Doyle, had left under similar circumstances less than a year earlier.
Starmer has now cycled through four communications directors in five years, pointing to a pattern of instability in messaging.
Lyons has been replaced by Tim Allan, a former key adviser to Tony Blair, who will serve as Executive Director of Communications alongside Steph Driver, Starmer’s long-term communications aide.
While Allan is expected to take the lead, insiders suggest the appointment signals desperation.
“The Blair era is political light years away,” one source said, sarcastically adding, “Will they be bringing Gordon Brown back next to advise on the Budget?”
Starmer Brings in Personal Economic Advisers
On the economic front, Starmer has installed his own advisers, further sidelining Chancellor Reeves.
Baroness Minouche Shafik, former deputy governor of the Bank of England, joins as Starmer’s personal economics guru.
Shafik’s past advocacy for wealth taxes and controversial inheritance-tax reforms suggests a continuation of Labour’s tax-and-spend approach.
Daniel York-Smith, previously a trusted adviser to Reeves, has also been confirmed as Starmer’s principal private secretary, reportedly placing him physically outside the PM’s study—a clear signal that Reeves is losing influence.
A senior Labour figure commented, “The first person the PM used to turn to for economic advice was Rachel.
Now he has his own economics adviser… Rachel will be second or third fiddle.”
Historical Echoes Raise Concerns
History suggests potential turbulence ahead.
When Margaret Thatcher brought in Alan Walters as her personal economic adviser in 1989, Chancellor Nigel Lawson resigned within a year, despite being considered “unassailable.”
Many see parallels with Starmer’s sidelining of Reeves, especially given the Treasury’s perceived role in recent policy missteps like the winter fuel allowance issues and the failed £4 billion disability benefit cuts.
Timing and Perception Issues
While Starmer likely hopes this reshuffle will stabilise his premiership, even allies question the timing.
“These changes should have been done in the first week of recess so the new people could be bedded in,” one supporter said.
“Instead, everyone is talking about yet another ‘reset’ to try to reverse our dire poll ratings.
And if I hear one more person saying that deckchairs are being shuffled on the Titanic, I will scream. It’s a terrible look.”
