Keir Starmer's No.10 Shake-Up Is An Admission His Government Is In Crisis

Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street.Keir Starmer has unveiled another shake-up of his No.10 operation in a tacit admission that his government faces a full-blown crisis.As HuffPost UK revealed last week, the prime minister is ringing the changes as MPs return to parliament after the summer recess.Sources said Starmer “has decided to take more direct oversight of delivery” amid frustration that his demands are not being implemented quickly enough.It comes less than a year after the last Downing Street re-organisation, which saw Sue Gray sacked as Starmer’s chief of staff after just three months in the job.Since then, the government’s struggles have continued, with both the Labour Party and the PM’s poll numbers tanking.After a summer dominated by the small boats crisis and with another tax-raising Budget coming in the autumn, Starmer hopes that the latest changes in No.10 personnel will turn around his administration’s fortunes.In a major surprise, Darren Jones – who was Rachel Reeves’ number two at the Treasury – is taking on the newly-created role of chief secretary to the prime minister.Downing Street said his job will be to “work collaboratively across government to drive forward progress in key policy areas”.Labour peer Baroness Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, has been appointed Starmer’s chief economic advisor.Treasury official Dan York Smith is moving to become the PM’s principal private secretary, replacing Nin Pandit, who HuffPost UK revealed last week will lead a new delivery unit in No.10.Meanwhile, James Lyons is stepping down as director of strategic communications after less than a year in the job.He told colleagues: “I’m proud to have helped to get a grip on Whitehall comms after what was a difficult few first months for the government.”PR executive Tim Allan, who was Tony Blair’s chief spin doctor, is returning to government as executive director of communications.His appointment comes six months after the resignation of former No.10 communications director Matthew Doyle.Downing Street sources tried to put a positive spin on the latest raft of changes, telling HuffPost UK: “As a next step in its Whitehall rewiring, No.10 is evolving the centre as a command and control function.“New structures and a new minister is about increasing government grip and focus.“The restructure marks a turbocharging of Starmer’s next phase of government.”The reality, however, is that the government is in deep trouble, with little hope on the horizon that things will get better soon.Starmer needs to hope that his latest throw of the dice produces a double six. If it doesn’t, the next big change could be his removal from Downing Street altogether.Related...5 Major Challenges Facing Keir Starmer As MPs Return From Their Summer HolidaysExclusive: Keir Starmer Launches Fresh No.10 Shake-Up Amid Polling SlumpExclusive: Keir Starmer To Launch Autumn Fightback Against Farage's Claim 'Britain Is Broken'

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