Politics Explained

Sir Keir Starmer’s necessary Labour reshuffle highlights discord with Angela Rayner

Surely it wouldn’t have killed the leader’s office to choose a quieter news day to build back better, albeit one that much nearer to Christmas, writes Sean O’Grady

Friday 10 December 2021 07:34 GMT
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<p>Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner listens as Labour leader Keir Starmer gives a speech </p>

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner listens as Labour leader Keir Starmer gives a speech

A bad day to bury good news” might be a generous verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle of his top team. On the whole, the changes to the shadow cabinet were overdue and will strengthen, significantly, Labour’s claim to be a government-in-waiting. However, given the inevitable media focus on the response to the omicron variant, whatever immediate benefit that might have been gained has been somewhat overshadowed, if that’s the right expression.

Surely it wouldn’t have killed the leader’s office to choose a quieter news day to build back better, albeit one that much nearer to Christmas?

Or even some time in the new year – it’s not a “good look” for a progressive party to be firing party staff at such a juncture, albeit post-dated to February. Lacklustre as some of the front bench have been, there was no great urgency about making the changes, especially as the prime minister shows no sign of reversing some his more profound errors of judgement (such as Nadine Dorries’s inexplicable position in charge of a department she doesn’t understand, embarrassingly revealed at her inaugural Culture Select Committee appearance).

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