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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted a shake-up of his Downing Street operation marks the government moving into its ‘second phase’ rather than a reshuffle. The prime minister said he wanted to focus on ‘delivery, delivery, delivery’ and insisted he was not ‘angry’ at the pace of change his government had managed to achieve so far but conceded he was ‘frustrated’. In an interview with the BBC’s Matt Chorley, Starmer said: ‘When I took over as leader of the Labour Party, I said there will be sort of three phases to this. ‘You’ve got to sort of build the fundamentals first and then you move on to the second stage. So, this should be seen more as moving on to the second phase than a reshuffle.’ Asked if it was a reflection of frustration that he had not brought about the change he had promised, he said: ‘I do want to go further and faster, and yes, I’m frustrated about that.’ He said he was ‘not angry’ but said ‘I get the frustration and anger of voters because they want change’. Starmer added: ‘I say delivery is the absolute key word and that’s why I’m really pleased with the changes today.’ Labour rising star Darren Jones will become the prime minister’s chief secretary under the changes. Jones, who had been chief secretary to the Treasury, will be based at No 10 and ‘directly oversee work across government to support the delivery of the prime minister’s priorities’ and attend Cabinet, Downing Street said. Treasury minister James Murray will replace him as Treasury chief secretary, effectively acting as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s deputy. Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson has replaced Murray as Treasury exchequer secretary. The appointment follows Starmer’s recruitment of Minouche Shafik, an economist and former president of Columbia University in New York, as his chief economic adviser. Shafik’s recruitment is part of a move to build economic expertise within the government ahead of the budget this autumn, when Reeves is expected to have to make tough tax and spending decisions. The new adviser has also been deputy governor of the Bank of England and permanent secretary at the Department for International Development, a now-scrapped government department. Tim Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair’s government, has been appointed the government’s executive director of communications, as the prime minister aims to improve communications across his administration. James Lyons, who had been director of strategic communications within No 10, has left his role after a year. As he left, the former print journalist said his role at the heart of government ‘was never intended as a long haul’. Last week Starmer moved to replace the top civil servant in his No 10 team after less than a year in the post. Nin Pandit, the prime minister’s principal private secretary, will take on a new post in September leading on the delivery of key priorities in No 10. Daniel York-Smith has been appointed to replace her within No 10. It was among a string of high profile departures from No 10 in less than a year, after the exit of chief of staff Sue Gray last October, and communications director Matthew Doyle in March. Economist Paul Johnson, said the reshuffle showed how ‘staggeringly unprepared’ the government had been coming into Downing Street. ‘It’s extraordinary, more than a year into this government, they’re only just working out that they might need some senior economic expertise within Number 10, both at a political level and at the advisor level. ‘It’s yet another example, I think, of how staggeringly unprepared this government was for government, despite the fact that they essentially knew they were going to win the election some considerable time out,’ he told Times Radio. Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative Party chair, said: ‘This chaotic reshuffle shows a Downing Street in crisis totally distracted from fixing the damage they’ve done to the economy, jobs and small businesses. ‘It’s like firefighters arguing about the hose whilst the house burns down. ‘Inflation has doubled, borrowing costs have soared, and Britain is on the brink of a debt crisis, with working people left to pay the price through higher taxes. ‘Only the Conservatives, under new leadership, will take a responsible approach to the public finances and ensure our economy grows whilst we live within our means.’ By Helen Corbett, David Lynch and Christopher McKeon, PA Political Staff source: PA Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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