Sir Keir Starmer has, in what many are calling a bold and entirely necessary move, reshuffled his Downing Street team. This is, of course, a clear sign of decisive leadership, and absolutely not an admission that his first team was a shambolic mess. We are now told we have entered “Phase Two” of the government. This is a surprise to many, who were under the distinct impression that “Phase One” was a period of sustained inertia punctuated by a series of increasingly frantic and bewildered press conferences. The Prime Minister’s office has yet to provide a definitive list of achievements from this inaugural phase, though sources close to the action suggest “standing very still” and “making promises about flags” are high on the list.
The shake-up, we are informed, is designed to “wrest back control of economic policy from the Treasury.” This is a fascinating turn of phrase, suggesting a power struggle of epic proportions that has been simmering away unnoticed, like a forgotten saucepan of lentils on a low heat. It seems the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has been so fiercely in control of the economy that the Prime Minister has had to resort to a surprise mini-reshuffle, a bit like a captain hiring a new navigator to get the ship back on course, while pointedly not telling the old navigator they were off course in the first place. The new appointees are tasked with “day-to-day delivery,” which is a wonderful, meaningless term that can be applied to anything from receiving a parcel to accidentally stumbling upon a solution to the housing crisis.
Adding to the sense of purpose, Sir Keir has also announced a new list of peerages to “strengthen his hand in the Lords.” It’s an innovative strategy: if you can’t get your legislation through on merit, just add more people. It’s the political equivalent of trying to win a game of football by simply putting more players on your team until you outnumber the opposition. Among the new appointees is his former policy chief, a clear sign of confidence in a person who, having just overseen “Phase One,” has now been rewarded with a lifelong position in the Upper House. One can only assume she is being given a new, more senior job to ensure her invaluable expertise is not lost, or perhaps, to ensure she is physically too far away to have any more say in policy.
Kierless Whispers 