Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have something in common: both men are under pressure to reshuffle their front benches and pick a final pre-election team. ‘The agitating tends to be done by those who want jobs, rather than those who have them,’ sighs one member of the Labour leader’s team. But with an election due next year – whether it’s in the spring or autumn – Sunak and Starmer know they have one last chance to refresh their front benches before going to the polls.
Sunak’s mission is to refresh a tired, squabbling party to make it look like a new government
A pre-election reshuffle isn’t just about managing teams and egos: it means choosing the personalities, tone and message on which to campaign. In 2014, David Cameron used his reshuffle to neutralise Tory weaknesses, even if that meant punishing effective ministers. As one loyal lieutenant recalls, those who Lynton Crosby thought ‘grated with the public’ were sacked or moved to backroom roles.
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