Three vacancies at the top of Sir Keir Starmer’s operation have triggered a battle over who will shape the direction of the government, with competing factions seeking to gain the upper hand. The departures of chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications director Tim Allan have raised hopes among Labour’s soft left of a shift in their favour, while the removal of cabinet secretary Chris Wormald has opened the door for a more radical replacement.
Antonia Romeo, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, is understood to be the frontrunner for cabinet secretary, having impressed Shabana Mahmood. Other names floated include Minouche Shafik, Starmer’s economic adviser, and Louise Casey, the lead non-executive director, who has previously said she would not be suited to the role.
A “let Starmer be Starmer” wing would like the prime minister to be more authentic, truer to his instincts - more pro-EU and internationalist, less hardline on immigration and more radical on net zero and the economy. This would align him with his ally, Attorney General Richard Hermer, and help counter the threat of the Greens and Your Party on the left. Others advocate sticking to McSweeney’s plan: relentless focus on the cost of living, tackling Reform’s appeal to swing voters, addressing immigration concerns, and trusting leftwing supporters to return at the next election to block Nigel Farage.
There is scepticism within No 10 that changing the cabinet secretary will make much difference. One source said: “The cabinet secretary is just one person. The whole place needs completely overhauling.” Another described it as “completely dysfunctional.” Whitehall sources say Starmer is keen to avoid another single svengali figure like McSweeney or Sue Gray, leading to discussions about splitting responsibilities among a larger team. One idea is to appoint a chief executive to oversee cross-departmental delivery. Louise Casey is repeatedly mentioned as an external candidate for chief of staff, despite the risk she could become a new lightning rod for media attention.
In the meantime, Starmer has appointed two lower-profile co-chiefs of staff, Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson. This “safe pair of hands” temporary team could allow him to assert himself outside the shadow of a single strategist. Tom Baldwin, Starmer’s biographer and a tipped candidate for a communications or strategy role, said: “The answer to this government’s problems is to face outward to the country rather than inwards into a leadership battle or another round of celebrification of what should be anonymous advisers.” Amy Richards, the political director, and Varun Chandra, the business adviser, are also tipped for positions.
