She comes from think tank land, where she had a top job at the cost-of-living-focused Resolution Foundation, and has won praise for leading Labour’s outreach to business. The policy expert gets plenty of praise from colleagues, but others fear she may be “indecisive.”
Jill Cuthbertson
Cuthbertson — the other half of the acting-up deputy chief of staff duo — is seen as having a deeper understanding of the political front, having worked with former Labour leaders Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband.
Cuthbertson is due some extended leave in the coming months, but one option under discussion is the job-share being made permanent.
Amy Richards
A former long-time adviser to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, the PM brought Richards into No.10 to bolster his operation’s communications with backbenchers.
The political director is spoken of highly among special advisers who don’t seem to lay any blame with her for the Parliamentary Labour Party’s current mood.
Long shots ….
Outside chancers being mentioned are the PM’s chief secretary Darren Jones, comms boss Tim Allan, Starmer biographer Tom Baldwin, National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell (once Tony Blair’s chief of staff, although himself facing questions over the Mandelson appointment) and top Rachel Reeves’ adviser Ben Nunn.
POLITICO London Playbook is throwing another name out there for kicks: ex-chief of staff Sue Gray, who resigned in October 2024 after losing a power battle with McSweeney … because who doesn’t love a comeback?