A senior No10 source flatly denied any plans for a reshuffle were already in motion. But elsewhere in Downing Street, those surrounding Starmer are understood to be in the early stages of planning a rejig of the PM’s senior team.
There is a sense among senior party insiders that late spring or early summer will be the first chance the PM has to reshape his senior team without it seeming like a panicked recalculation.
“Rachel is going nowhere,” a senior government source said.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is currently expected to stay in post in any future reshuffle of Keir Starmer’s Cabinet (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Pool via REUTERS)However, Government insiders and MPs are beginning to privately discuss the fate of other senior figures in the Cabinet.
Attorney General Richard Hermer has faced criticism for his handling of the Chagos deal (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The row over Mauritius’s demands – and the failure to shut them down – has led political figures surrounding Starmer to believe that Hermer has displayed a lack of political instinct.
Nandy at risk of demotion over her attendance in Westminster
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy is said to be at risk in any future Cabinet reshuffle (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is also understood to be at risk of being demoted because some in No10 believe she cannot be relied upon to show up at events, or Commons statements, when requested to do so. It it understood that there have been complaints within No10 that Nandy is spending too much of her time at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in Salford.
Lisa Nandy is Starmer's secret weapon against Reform - if he decides to use her
Read MoreThat Nandy goes against the grain of the Westminster cut and thrust makes her popular with voters – with some pointing out she could be a useful tool for the PM in the fight against populist parties like Reform.
Bridget Phillipson has been spearheading Labour’s reforms to Ofsted inspections and VAT on private schools fees (Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Another minister who has raised eyebrows among those operating behind the scenes in No10 is Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
And she has been accused of being too ideological and therefore hampering her ability to successfully sell the policy of scrapping VAT relief for private schools.
But a reshuffle of Nandy and Philipson, in particular, could pose a headache if either of them were to refuse another ministerial role and end up on the backbenches – leaving them free to publicly critique the government.
In the Commons tea room, speculation is rife that Hermer and Nandy could be the most significant reshuffle casualties – although one MP said the chats were currently contained to “smaller groups” and not “wide open discussions”.
Reshuffle could fall in late spring or early summer
One Government source said they would not expect any changes to happen before May. They argued it would be the ideal opportunity to “freshen things up” after the March spending review and early May local elections.
It would also offer Starmer and McSweeney an opportunity to use a reshuffle to refresh the narrative around this Labour government after a potentially challenging set of local elections due to the threat posed by Reform UK, they suggested.
But there are still understood to be tensions over how to control the political narrative.
There is a sense that – despite holding all the power – the political team are seeing threats everywhere.
“They don’t want civil service talking to the media,” one said. “Telling departments not to do background briefings unless there is a political voice in the room. The system is pushing back. All very Alistair Campbell!”
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