For months, the narrative around Downing Street has been dominated by the “men in grey suits” behind the scenes. Whether it was the strategic grip of Morgan McSweeney or the more recent vetting dramas surrounding Lord Mandelson, the noise often drowned out the work.
Some within the party view McSweeney’s departure as a necessary clearing of the decks. For too long, the government was accused of being overly factional or trapped in a “campaign mode” that didn’t translate well into the business of governing.
By accepting McSweeney’s departure, Starmer will now want to move past the internal friction that has slowed his agenda. Whatever the intent this moment likely signals the end of the “command and control” era and the start of another kind of premiership. Time will tell whether or not Starmer is deemed by his cabinet to be capable of leading any new show.
Supporters, including Ed Miliband, have noted that without a “firewall” or a chief strategist to lean on, the public may finally get a look at the real Keir—a leader who is fundamentally driven by a sense of public service rather than political gamesmanship.
Indeed, in spite of the din in Westminster, Starmer’s government has been quietly delivering. From the successful recruitment of an additional 1,000 GPs this year, to the “Warm Homes Plan” lifting a million families out of fuel poverty, the legislative pace has been blistering (half of the forty bills in the King’s Speech are already law, including nationalisation of the railways).
The problem is that almost nobody knows any of this. He has allowed a vacuum of narrative to swallow his successes, failing to connect these practical wins into a compelling story. Without a clear, punchy communication strategy, he remains a technocrat in a storyteller’s world, leaving voters fundamentally disconnected from his agenda.
The upcoming by-election will be a test for the British PM, or a rubicon that triggers a managed departure. With the exception of the party’s leader in Scotland (who has tough elections coming up), his internal opponents are keeping their powder dry, for now. They will all be aware of the mess the last Conservative administration got itself into and the price it continues to pay.
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