There is significant disquiet among some senior figures in Downing Street over the Winter Budget. Because it’s not just Reeves on the line…
One Downing Street source tells Guido: “It’s now the PM’s budget too.” Co-conspirators may remember No10 ‘beefing up’ its economic credentials and control over the Treasury with a series of strategic hires. They include Minouche Shafik as Starmer’s personal economic adviser, Darren Jones (previously Chief Treasury Secretary) as Starmer’s personal SpAd/minister, and Dan Yorke-Smith, hired from the Treasury to be Starmer’s PPS. The effect of this is to tie the fates of Reeves and Starmer together ahead of the Budget. A source says “our hands are well and truly dipped”…
Aggressive pitch-rolling from Reeves has gone down badly, especially yesterday’s bizarre here-come-the-taxes speech. There is “lots of anxiety about how it will land.” A senior government source tells Guido “the PLP has spent the new headroom several times over already and so have some of the SpAds.”
A Downing Street insider adds: “Some of us think it won’t work. Showing real progress in time for May is obviously now out, so we get clobbered then, and then lose momentum – as well as a Chancellor and a PM.” Game over…
The Times picks up on rumours that Ed Miliband is a viable replacement for Starmer come the PM’s defenestration. As Guido reported back in September the Energy Secretary went on major manoeuvres after the PM tried and failed to remove him from post at the Phase 2 reshuffle. He is blamed by senior figures in Labour for a series of inflammatory briefings whose aim is to undermine Starmer. No surprise then that with Keir’s possible end on the horizon someone has decided to start whispering Miliband’s name in hacks’ ears…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”