Read: What does Keir Starmer’s reshuffle mean for the Labour Party?
Former Labour Member of Parliament for Barrow & Furness and Special Adviser to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Lord Walney, gives his analysis as Keir Starmer undertakes a major reshuffle of his shadow front bench team.
Sir Keir Starmer may have pulled one or two punches by leaving all the biggest jobs in his Shadow Cabinet unchanged, but the significance of the changes he has made to several mid-level roles should not be underestimated.
Firstly, why did Starmer not change personnel in the big six areas of Shadow Chancellor, Foreign Office, Home Office, Defence, Health and Education? In several of these positions the Shadow Secretary of State is already performing highly effectively, building Labour’s reputation as the next party of government and holding ministers to account. Rachel Reeves in particular is making herself indispensable, a central key part of convincing the country Labour can be trusted to govern and deliver a mandate of change. John Healey is also working diligently and effectively to re-establish Labour’s reputation among the defence community.
In a couple of other high profile areas, Labour is performing less strongly, but in a way that perhaps matters a little less in opposition than the critical importance of being able to run the brief effectively once in government. Perhaps Starmer chose to dodge the drama and potential headache of big demotions now, particularly while 20-points ahead in the polls, but may still choose to revisit the issue and pick different people when selecting his first Cabinet as Prime Minister.
Yet, despite the lack of change in the major roles, the quality of the people Starmer is bringing into other positions will make this a highly astute reshuffle. I am delighted to see my old friends from New Labour days, Liz Kendall, Pat McFadden and Peter Kyle promoted, with the former two making a long overdue return to the top table as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and National Campaign Coordinator respectively.
Liz is brilliant, one of the people that Starmer may have been wary of promoting in the first phase of his leadership, when he relied on his political allies to bolster him in power ahead of those who might have had more cut through with the public but annoyed the left of his party. Her promotion is a clear sign that he is increasingly comfortable in his own skin, secure in his position, and resolutely focused on connecting with voters to get over the line at the general election.
Pat McFadden has a lower profile than Liz Kendall, but may prove equally important in his new role as Labour’s Campaign Coordinator. He is one of the party’s deepest thinkers with an instinctive grasp of the public mood. More than that, he is one of the founding fathers of New Labour and remains close to Blair’s former team, who still have much to offer on the subject of how to win an election. His installation in this role underlines that Starmer has decided to embrace Blair as a positive legacy for the party, not a shadow from which to escape.
Finally, promoting Angela Rayner into the Shadow Levelling Up, Housing and Communities brief, as well as being a sign that Starmer feels secure enough to promote a potential rival, may also reap rewards. Angela has the natural flair and sense of integrity to cut through. She also knuckles down to get a far greater grasp than people might initially assume of the minutiae of her policy brief - much needed in this key area.
Overall, this is a reshuffle that shows Labour under Keir Starmer is determined to win, and has grasped what is needed to do so. The job of the Conservatives to cling on at the next election just got that bit harder.
