Keir Starmer’s Government Asserting Control, Says Minister After Reshuffle
The prime minister’s newly appointed chief secretary, Darren Jones,has dismissed suggestions of instability following a sudden reshuffle prompted by Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister.
Originally planned for later in the year, the reshuffle was accelerated after Rayner stepped down from all her ministerial roles following a breach of the ministerial code related to her tax affairs.
When asked whether the public might view the sudden changes as a sign of disarray—coming just a week into the new parliamentary session and days after Starmer announced the next phase of his leadership—Jones rejected the characterization, calling the reshuffle aa demonstration of decisive leadership.
"No, this is not chaos," Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today program. "This reshuffle was brought forward from its original timeline. That’s not chaos; that’s leadership. The prime minister acted swiftly and chose to proceed decisively."
Pressed further on whether the Labour government might be perceived as unstable, Jones respondeddisputed the label.
"Naturally, we would have preferred if AngelaAngela hadn’t been in this situation, but the situation arose, and the process unfolded promptly. Within hours of the ethics adviser’s conclusions, the prime minister acted on that advice.”
He added that Starmer had already been considering a broader reshuffle on a more gradual timeline but chose to accelerate it. "That’s a decision made by the prime minister, demonstrating leadership and control—not chaos."
StarAngela Rayner had faced sustained scrutiny over the past week after questions arose over unpaid stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside property.
When asked whether the reshuffle merely recycled familiar faces rather than bringing in new talent, Jones defendedpointed to Emma Reynolds’ promotion as environment secretary as evidenceevidence of renewal."While we have adjusted some roles, these changes reflect the strengths and skills of the team after a year in government."ย้vtte Cooper’s move from the Home Office to the Foreign Office was not due to performance issues, Jones clarified.
Cooper’s departure made way for ShShabana Mahmood to take over at the Home Office, meaning three of the four great offices of state are now led by women for the first time. David Lammy will move to the justice department and take on the deputy prime minister role.
Labour peer Lord Faulkner, a former justice secretary, suggested thethe scale of the reshuffle indicated Starmer recognized the need to re-engage with an evolving political landscape..
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