The focus is on Downing Street personnel instead of ministers ahead of a reshuffle penned in for Monday, Guido is told. SpAds are braced for a Morgan McSweeney autumn clean out…
Multiple sources say Political Director Claire Reynolds is up for the chop. Guido hears that other Downing Street political staff are feeling nervy. Insider sources say numerous personnel in the Policy Unit as well as Director of Communications (Delivery) Steph Driver are privately worried about being shuffled on…
Guido hears the feeling among some political staff is that Nin Pandit’s departure – which has bolstered the hated pen-pusher Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald – is not seen as enough. One Downing Street source tells Guido there are “no plans to tackle Wormald” and someone additional will be brought in – but that it “doesn’t seem likely that will be landed by Monday.”
With regard to that tongues are wagging in SW1 about the potential incoming appointment of Helen “Karaoke” MacNamara. Co-conspirators may remember MacNamara – former Propriety and Ethics director and subsequent deputy Cabinet Secretary. She has been personally pushing for the formation of a new Downing Street department with its own permanent secretary. A widely held view is that partygate has tarred her excessively. Guido hears Helen still has fans inside government…
The shuffle is being managed by numerous staff with competing recommendations to Starmer, hence the stop-and-start announcements. This is life with “the grown ups back in charge”…
UPDATE: Ministerial reshuffle delayed.
Downing Street has been spending a hefty amount on furniture prior to its personnel reshuffle. Minouche Shafik – former deputy BoE governor under Mark Carney – will be Starmer’s new personal economics adviser…
Guido’s FoI unit has established that since mid-April No10 has spent £1,919 on chairs, £305 on desks, and £174 on lighting. Maybe ergonomic seats will solve the malaise…
This comes after £28,000 was shelled out after the election on new furniture. Something about deckchairs and the Titanic comes to mind…
Starmer has sacked his PPS Nin Pandit. Briefed to the BBC this morning…
After joining in November 2024 post-Sue Gray she is “expected to be given another role in government” and the BBC is told she “retains his confidence.” There will be some sighs of relief among political appointees in government…
As co-conspirators will have read on these pixels Pandit has been on the receiving end of criticism for being “hopeless,” abrasive, and ineffective in government. Which the BBC has been told by Downing Street now…
The finger was also pointed at Pandit for blocking the launch of Rayner’s ODPM. Starmer’s slow-moving personnel circus marches on…
Downing Street is refusing to dismiss the possibility of a future ban on Virtual Private Networks. Asked in today’s Lobby briefing if the government would rule out restricting the use of VPNs for children or anyone else at any point in the future, Number 10’s official spokesman said the government have “no plans to go beyond that“… but nonetheless said they would “keep under review what is necessary to keep children safe online“. The coy sort of language that leaves the door wide open to plans that do in fact go beyond that in the future…
As Guido has reported, Labour has previously supported moves to crack down on VPNs when the Online Safety Act was first going through parliament. Here’s what prominent backbench MP Sarah Champion said at the time:
“My new clause 54 would require the Secretary of State to publish, within six months of the Bill’s passage, a report on the effect of VPN use on Ofcom’s ability to enforce the requirements under clause 112. If VPNs cause significant issues, the Government must identify those issues and find solutions, rather than avoiding difficult problems.”
The party front bench subsequently backed Champion’s mission. VPN use has skyrocketed since the Online Safety Act was implemented, and the campaign to ban them is already whirring into motion. Of course if even Beijing can’t ban VPNs, it would be less than pointless for Whitehall to try. Evidence has never stopped the blob before…
Downing Street has created four brand new “digital roles” to beef up its content creation team in efforts to boost Starmer’s image. Alice Hodgson, Head of Digital Communications at No10, posted on LinkedIn this morning:
“We’re looking for creative leaders and makers with big ideas to join the team behind the Prime Minister’s and 10 Downing Street’s digital channels. If you’re passionate about storytelling, visuals, and creating content that reaches millions, this is your chance.”
Starmer is on the lookout for a Chief Videographer, Senior Content Producer, Video Editor and Photo Editor with salaries which total £210,766. The Chief Videographer will be expected to “create and commission compelling hero moments for the Prime Minister that showcase leadership, humanity and delivery” as well as staying “across digital and content trends.” Guido is not convinced Keir Starmer is the man people have in mind when the Bonnie Tyler track comes on…
The hard left think tank IPPR has continued its infiltration of Downing Street. Talk about the revolving door…
The Health Service Journal and Bloomberg report that Tom Kibasi – who worked on Starmer’s leadership campaign – has been brought into No10 to work with Morgan McSweeney on “a specific strategy project for several months.” Grasping at straws…
Guido revealed in February that Kibasi – who used to head up the IPPR – was appointed by DHSC to work on NHS policy. That hasn’t lasted and he will now attempt to shore up Downing Street’s strategy ahead of Conference and the October Omnishambles budget. He has a history of support for gargantuan tax hikes by taxing capital gains and dividends at income tax rates…
Kibasi joins the other IPPR head honchos in Downing Street, the majority of whom are working on policy. Judge a Prime Minister’s policy direction by the company he keeps…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”