On September 2, 2025, the political heart of Britain pulsed with fresh urgency as Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered his newly reshuffled Cabinet in Downing Street. The move, widely interpreted as a dramatic bid to seize tighter control over economic policy, sent ripples through Westminster and beyond, with both supporters and critics weighing in on what this shake-up means for the government’s direction—and the country’s financial future.
At the center of the commotion was the appointment of Darren Jones, formerly the Treasury’s chief secretary and Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ right-hand man, to a newly minted role: chief secretary to the prime minister. According to The Guardian, Jones’ new job is to “drive forward progress in policy areas and report directly to the prime minister.” This structural change, effectively relocating a key economic strategist from the Treasury to Number 10, was seen by many as a direct challenge to Reeves’ authority and a signal that Starmer is determined to steer the economic ship himself, after a series of high-profile missteps.
The timing and optics of the move couldn’t be more charged. As Daily Mail reported, the reshuffle followed a period of mounting anxiety within Labour ranks and the public over botched plans to slash winter fuel payments and curb benefits—proposals that triggered disastrous U-turns and battered the government’s credibility. With a looming black hole of up to £50 billion in public finances, speculation is rife that Starmer’s team is preparing the ground for a “brutal tax raid” in the upcoming Autumn Budget. The tax burden, already on track to hit a record high, looks set to rise further as Labour scrambles to cover spending pledges.
The markets wasted no time in reacting. Yields on 30-year UK government bonds soared to just under 5.7 percent, a level unseen since 1998. For the uninitiated, that means investors are demanding higher returns to lend money to the UK government—an ominous sign that the country’s borrowing costs are climbing just as it faces tough fiscal choices. As Daily Mail bluntly put it, the Tories have warned that the country is “broke” and must rein in spending, while Labour MPs are feeling the heat from all sides.
The opposition, never one to miss an opening, was quick to pounce. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, making the rounds on morning broadcasts, pushed back against the idea that Reeves had been sidelined. “I don’t think so at all. Quite the reverse. I think the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have always worked extremely closely together and continue to do so,” she insisted, according to Daily Mail. Yet, the optics told another story, with Reeves’ Treasury deputy now reporting directly to Starmer and the prime minister’s office bristling with new economic firepower.
That firepower includes Baroness Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, now installed as Starmer’s chief economic adviser. As The Guardian noted, Shafik’s arrival represents a significant upgrade in economic expertise for Number 10—“several notches up from a desk economist, if indeed that is what Reeves was.” The message is clear: Starmer wants heavyweight advisers at his side as he navigates the treacherous waters of economic policy and public messaging.
In tandem with the economic appointments, Starmer also moved decisively to bolster his communications operation. Tim Allan, a seasoned PR professional who once served under Tony Blair, has replaced James Lyons as the prime minister’s top communications strategist. According to PRWeek, Allan’s appointment is widely seen as a “significant upgrade” and signals Starmer’s determination to restore confidence and authority in his administration after what many have called a period of “torrid” coverage and faltering public support.
But what prompted such a sweeping overhaul? Insiders suggest that Starmer, a legal expert by training and experience, has often felt out of his depth on economic matters. As The Guardian observed, “Money, finance and the markets, put simply, are not his thing. He’s preferred to let others do the talking for him, notably Reeves herself.” Yet, Reeves’ performance—particularly her communication and delivery—has come under intense scrutiny, with Labour’s poll numbers sagging and the government’s ability to win a second term now in doubt.
For months, Reeves was at the center of speculation over what her first Budget would contain, and the headlines were all about her. But as the impact of earlier decisions—like imposing inheritance tax on farmers, scrapping non-doms, and hiking employers’ national insurance—began to bite, criticism mounted. Her oft-repeated promise of “going further and faster to kick-start the economy” has, in the eyes of many, failed to materialize. The result? A sense of chaos and lack of direction that the opposition has been all too happy to exploit.
Starmer’s reshuffle, then, is as much about consolidating his own authority as it is about sidelining any one individual. “The centre is getting a grip, taking command,” The Guardian wrote, suggesting that the prime minister is determined to ensure that “it should be No 10, not No 11, doing the explaining and selling.” This centralization of power is designed to clarify the government’s direction and reduce the controversy swirling around left-leaning advisers like Torsten Bell, who have become lightning rods for criticism from both inside and outside the party.
Not everyone is convinced the changes will bring the desired results. Former Tory cabinet minister Sir James Cleverly told Daily Mail that the moves suggest Starmer is “getting ready to throw Rachel under the bus in the proper reshuffle that is inevitably coming.” Meanwhile, Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch was scathing in her assessment: “I think that the reshuffle, or mini-reshuffle, he had yesterday is just shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic. Unemployment has risen every single month since Labour came into office, we know that Labour are coming back for even more tax rises after a disastrous budget. I don’t know what this says about his confidence in the Chancellor, but the fact that he’s taken his chief secretary of the Treasury and put him into Number 10 does not inspire me with confidence because he’s one of the people who’s been making the mess. I don’t think it’s going to make any difference.”
Labour MPs themselves are divided, with some arguing that no amount of staffing changes can fix a deeper political malaise. “This is about the politics and the story we tell. All the comms and strategy people in the world won’t fix that,” one MP told The Guardian.
As the government prepares for what promises to be a make-or-break Autumn Budget, the stakes could hardly be higher. The reshuffle may have restored some sense of purpose to “Starmer High,” as one commentator quipped, but the real test will be whether the new team can deliver results—and restore public trust—before the next electoral exam rolls around.
