It’s an iron law of politics that when the staffer becomes the story they have to go. Dominic Cummings had to leave Boris Johnson, and Theresa May’s joint chiefs Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy both took the blame for the disastrous 2017 election result.
The reshuffle resolves a perplexing political question
Lobby journalists leaving Liverpool at the end of Labour conference had concluded that Sue Gray would have to leave the role of as chief of staff to Keir Starmer. Yet her resignation yesterday came as a surprise. This is of a piece with Starmer’s leadership – he doesn’t brief his intentions in advance, but he can often be swift and ruthless.
The appointment of Morgan McSweeney as chief of staff is a recognition and a resolution. McSweeney was formerly the campaign director who steered Labour to its historic landslide in June, and he will now be the heir to Peter Mandelson. Just as Mandelson pivoted from campaign victory to a successful political career, so Morgan is now taking on the most important political task of the moment – restoring momentum to the Labour government after two months of drift following the King’s Speech.
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