Could a snap election be around the corner? That’s the message Keir Starmer relayed to party staff in a conference call this morning. He told those assembled that the economic turmoil following the Chancellor’s not-so-mini Budget means the government ‘could fall at any time’. As a result, his party needs to be election ready: ‘We have to recognise it is that unstable. We need to be ready. We need to get on an election footing straight away’.
This isn’t the first time in recent months that figures in Labour have said they’re on an election footing – it’s a useful line to garner attention and rally the base. But this time Starmer’s words are accompanied with a number of significant changes. The party is being relocated to a new headquarters (rumoured to be south London) and a shake-up of his team is underway.
Starmer’s challenge is to keep his party focussed – suggesting an election could happen at any moment helps to do that
Starmer’s chief of staff Sam White is to leave his role.
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