Keir Starmer has revamped his team at Downing Street following Sue Gray’s resignation a mere week prior to his government’s centennial day in power. He assigned the highest ranking role to an Irish strategist.
The Prime Minister identified Morgan McSweeney, hailing from Codrum, a locale just beyound Macroom in County Cork, as his fresh chief of staff. McSweeney, a vital force behind Starmer’s journey to leadership, is acknowledged as having facilitated the Prime Minister’s rise to power. Initially, he took up the role of head of political strategy at No. 10, spearheading the party’s strategic push towards solidifying successive victory over the next half-decade.
Despite apparent discord within No. 10 over rival claims to power between McSweeney and Gray, very few were doubtful regarding McSweeney’s survival of any possible fallout. He clinched the chief of staff role and is expected to bring a significantly more strategic political viewpoint to his job.
McSweeney is widely revered among many team members. Some within the party arguably exhibit warm sentiments towards him over Starmer. The quintessential compliment coined within Labour HQ is reportedly: “Morgan loves it.” Nonetheless, McSweeney’s role in leading thinktank Labour Together’s campaign against Jeremy Corbyn’s sway turned him into an ominous figure for those on the left of the political spectrum.
Following a stint with the Labour attack squad during the New Labour era, McSweeney gained significant experience as chief of staff to then-leader of Lambeth Council, Steve Reed, who currently serves in the cabinet. He was instrumental in defeating the British National Party in Barking and Dagenham. A native of Cork, he splits his time between Scotland and Westminster. His spouse, Imogen Walker, represents Hamilton and Clyde Valley as a Labour MP.
The recent alterations to the team also saw the introduction of Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson as deputy chiefs of staff. Alakeson, previously director of external relations under Starmer’s opposition and subsequently political director at No. 10, is set to retain a highly political role in her new position.
Jill Cuthbertson, one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted political coordinators and gatekeepers, ascended to the role of co-deputy chief of staff after serving in a high-ranking capacity as director of government relations.
James Lyons, with an extensive background in journalism and public relations, has been assigned as the director of strategic communications. With a strong network among politicians and journalists in Westminster, Lyons boasts of a significant career in managing crisis situations. Having been part of Daily Mirror and Sunday Times, his shift to manage communications at NHS in 2017 marked the start of his rise to a directorial role, steering the health service through the intricacies of the Covid pandemic. However, he exited the NHS last year to join TikTok.
Moreover, Ninjeri Pandit, an ex-digital executive from NHS, now assumes the role of principal private secretary. Initially recruited to No 10 for her expertise on health policy, Pandit was later elevated to the position of Director of its policy unit. She will now adorn a critical position in civil service as the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary. – channeled from The Guardian