SW1 is awash with yet more shadow front bench reshuffle gossip. Once again, the likes of David Lammy and Ed Miliband are in the firing line, with The Sun reporting Miliband will lose control of Labour’s energy policies after his £28 billion debacle. The usual ‘who’s up, who’s down’ conversation prompted Guido to do some important research. Who are Labour’s trusted faces when it comes to the morning media round? Who’s telegenic enough to explain why it’s fine to perform yet another policy U-turn?
The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Wes Streeting. Since the start of the year, the shadow Health Secretary has run the morning media gauntlet a whopping twelve times. Lisa Nandy comes second at nine appearances, with Rachel Reeves and her deputy Pat McFadden just behind on eight. Where’s Angela Rayner? Surely, as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work, she’s a star performer? She’s made two appearances.
Over the weekend, Andrew Pierce reported on Team Rayner’s frustrations with LOTO. Apparently she’s feeling increasingly sidelined since Labour soared in the polls and Sir Keir consolidated his position. She’s not invited to strategy meetings, doesn’t know when reshuffles are even happening, and is kept off TV. One insider said she’s best deployed on the ground as a campaigner handing out leaflets – which is presumably better than contradicting the party leader on policy every five minutes in front of the cameras. As for Ed Miliband… he’s made just one morning appearance all year.
Read the full breakdown below:
Angela Rayner (2)
13.04, 13.02
Rachel Reeves (8)
22.06, 15.06, 09.06, 03.05, 30.03, 16.03, 27.02, 05.01
David Lammy (5)
11.06, 26.02, 17.02, 09.02, 24.01
Ed Miliband (1)
26.04
Bridget Phillipson (2)
09.03, 11.01
Anneliese Dodds (5)
16.06, 24.05, 19.05, 01.05, 17.03
Emily Thornberry (5)
26.06, 27.03, 22.02, 18.01, 12.01
Jonathan Ashworth (5)
06.06, 16.05, 18.04, 13.03, 10.01
Jonathan Reynolds (6)
19.06, 12.06, 11.05, 02.05, 12.04, 07.03,
Lisa Nandy (9)
25.06, 07.06, 23.05, 09.05, 27.04, 19.03, 02.02, 19.01, 05.01
Seema Malhotra (2)
23.06, 08.06,
James Murray (7)
22.06, 15.06, 15.05, 05.05, 03.05, 14.04, 15.03,
Ian Murray (2)
20.06, 15.02
Jim McMahon (4)
21.06, 18.05, 25.04, 21.02
Keir Starmer (4)
19.06, 22.05, 17.05, 17.02
Lucy Powell (6)
13.06, 28.04, 07.04, 26.03, 03.03, 17.01
Stephen Kinnock (6)
09.06, 01.06, 25.05, 10.03, 07.03, 03.02
Alex Norris (2)
13.02, 02.06,
Alison McGovern (3)
13.05, 06.02, 10.01
Andrew Gwynne (3)
22.05, 08.05, 22.04
Ellie Reeves (1)
23.03
Jess Phillips (1)
06.04
Liz Kendall (3)
21.05, 20.04, 20.03
Louise Haigh (1)
28.04
Matthew Pennycook (1)
17.05
Nick Thomas-Symonds (4)
05.06, 31.05, 26.05, 30.01
Pat McFadden (8)
11.06, 10.05, 24.04, 11.04, 31.03, 15.03, 01.03, 22.01
Peter Kyle (2)
19.04, 28.02
Rosena Allin-Khan (1)
04.01
Sarah Jones (3)
04.04, 21.03, 20.02
Shabana Mahmood (2)
05.05, 30.04
Steve Reed (2)
05.04, 22.03
Thangam Debbonaire (2)
15.06, 17.04
Tulip Siddiq (3)
05.05, 14.03, 10.02
Wes Streeting (12)
14.06, 22.05, 12.05, 07.05, 21.04, 16.04, 29.03, 24.03, 06.03, 23.02, 30.01, 09.01
Yvette Cooper (6)
03.04, 29.03, 23.03, 08.03, 19.02, 26.01