Starmer’s One Year Anniversary Marred By No10 and Cabinet Office Infighting – Guido Fawkes

EXC: Starmer’s One Year Anniversary Marred By No10 and Cabinet Office Infighting

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With 14 days to go until Starmer’s one-year anniversary in Downing Street there is chaos inside government. Are co-conspirators surprised?

Starmer’s initiation of “Phase Two” some weeks ago has done nothing to address the toxic relations among key officials. Guido hears from internal sources that the two powerhouses of government – No10 and the Cabinet Office – are in disarray. There is criticism of Starmer’s Principal Private Secretary Nin Pandit, who one Downing Street source says is “hopeless and seems to dislike everyone and everything with no ability to fix things.” Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney and his deputy Vidhya Alakeson are close and have so far failed to begin turning things around for Starmer…

The Cabinet Office is worse according to high-level sources, one of whom describes it as a “sh*tshow.” Chris Wormald – a Civil Service lifer who Starmer appointed Cabinet Secretary in December to the dismay of more ambitious political staff – has so far disappointed and “might as well not be there.” So too has Cabinet Office permanent secretary Cat Little, who one source says “seems to promise the earth all the time but can’t deliver.” Guido hears the Mission Delivery Unit, which is made up of circa 30 staff reporting primarily to Starmer and Pat McFadden, is chaotic and failing to perform according to expectations. Labour has all but hidden the missions from their own website…

Characters currently keeping the department afloat are said to be Director General Matt Collins, Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Black, and Propriety and Ethics Director Darren Tierney. Guido hears all three of them are eyeing an exit. Good luck to the rest…

Poor communications work has too begun to sour relations with political journalists – far earlier than usual in the cycle. Quite the job to get done in just one year…