Starmer must do more than rearrange advisers to reverse Labour’s fortunes

Jenny Chapman’s departure from the Labour leader’s office marks the latest move in a sizeable shake-up of Starmer’s top team. Sean O’Grady argues there’s still a long way to go to get the party back on track

Jenny Chapman pictured with Keir Starmer ahead of the Labour leader’s keynote speech at the party’s online conference in 2020 (Getty)

It’s a reasonable guess that few people – even counting those with some interest in politics – know who Jenny Chapman is. Or was, rather, as she is being moved from her role as “director of politics” in the leader of the opposition’s office to one of a much more conventional, policy-oriented character, as the shadow Brexit minister to Lord (David) Frost.

Chapman has already been elevated to the peerage in readiness, and it’s obviously an important role, consistent with Sir Keir Starmer’s estimation of her. An MP since 2010, she served as Starmer’s junior Brexit shadow minister in the Corbyn years, despite attempts to depose Corbyn and more or less open contempt towards the left. She lost her Darlington seat in the 2019 general election. She was a natural choice to run Starmer’s leadership campaign, and thence his office.

As the wife of another Labour MP (Nick Smith), she is what you might call a political animal: well connected, powerful, and close and loyal to her boss, in the tradition of Marcia Falkender (Wilson), Peter Mandelson (Kinnock), Alastair Campbell (Blair), Damian McBride (Brown), and Seumas Milne and Karie Murphy (Corbyn). All had the ear of their leader, whatever their job title. However, with one thing and another – not least the loss of the Hartlepool by-election – and continuing tensions with others close to Starmer, she has been moved out of the “kitchen cabinet”.