Picture courtesy of Bicester Advertiser

 

Sir Keir Starmer has revamped his Downing Street team, appointing Darren Jones to a pivotal role. Jones, who previously served as chief secretary to the Treasury, now takes on the role of chief secretary to the Prime Minister. His successor at the Treasury is James Murray, followed by Dan Tomlinson stepping into Murray's previous position.

 

The change comes on the heels of a challenging summer, with headlines dominated by asylum and migration issues. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has suspended a family reunification scheme for refugees as the government looks to regain control over the narrative.

 

Jones has swiftly climbed the ranks since being first elected in 2017 as MP for Bristol North West. He played a key role in the spending review, contributing significantly to government funding strategies for the next five years. Despite this reshuffle, Jones will remain a cabinet attendee, with no further cabinet-level changes anticipated.

 

The No 10 communications team is also seeing shifts. Steph Driver stays on while James Lyons leaves his position as the team gains economic expertise. These changes echo an ongoing effort by Starmer to strengthen his government’s agenda since taking office last July, reported the BBC.

 

Former deputy governor of the Bank of England, Baroness Minouche Shafik, joins as an economic adviser, with Sir Keir aiming to enhance government operations. A Downing Street spokesperson indicated that these adjustments aim to boost economic growth and improve living standards.

 

Conversely, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake criticised the reshuffle, describing it as chaotic. He suggested it distracts from addressing economic challenges faced by businesses and job markets.

 

Overall, these adjustments signal Starmer's intent to fortify his leadership and focus on economic recovery.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-09-02

 

Starmer re-arranging deck chairs on The Titanic.

 

He's going down and he knows it. 

 

Let's hope he takes the inevitable cushy job at Davos sooner rather than later. He prefers it to Westminster anyway. Less of that pesky Democracy. 

4 more years! 4 more years!