As the United Kingdom’s Parliament reconvened on September 1, 2025, the air in Westminster was thick with anticipation—and not just because of the return from summer recess. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, marking just over a year in office, unveiled a sweeping reorganization of his Downing Street team and a fresh set of policies aimed at tackling the country’s persistent migration challenges and economic headwinds. The moves, announced as MPs filed back into the House of Commons, signal both a recognition of recent shortcomings and a bid to set a new tone for the months ahead.
Among the headline changes, Starmer introduced a brand-new role within No 10: Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. The job, handed to Darren Jones, is designed to give Starmer a tighter grip on the machinery of government—something he’s long complained has been sluggish and, at times, unwieldy. According to BBC News, this is a structural innovation not seen in recent memory, with the only near-precedent being Conservative MP Steve Barclay’s stint as Boris Johnson’s chief of staff during his final months as prime minister.
But the shake-up didn’t stop there. The prime minister also slashed the number of directors of communications from two to one and merged four separate policy heads into a single, unified role. One government insider, reaching for a football analogy, quipped to BBC News, “No 10 has been like Sven [Goran-Eriksson’s] England team. Lots of midfield talent who couldn’t play together.” The message is clear: Starmer wants a leaner, more coherent team that can deliver on his priorities without the confusion and overlap that have dogged his first year.
This ruthlessness—another hallmark of Starmer’s leadership—was on full display. Trusted aides and advisers, some of whom he had only recently appointed, found themselves demoted or sidelined in the reorganization. While some Labour critics see this as Starmer correcting his own missteps, others argue it’s a sign of a leader willing to make tough calls for the good of the government. As BBC News put it, “ruthlessness is just a nice way of saying he is correcting his own errors.”
Yet, perhaps the most telling element of the reshuffle is its pronounced economic focus. With the autumn Budget looming—a moment widely regarded as pivotal for the government’s future—Starmer has beefed up his economic team considerably. Darren Jones, who spent the past fourteen months as Rachel Reeves’s deputy, now sits at the heart of Downing Street operations. The civil servant running Starmer’s private office brings years of Treasury experience. And Baroness Shafik, newly appointed as chief economic adviser, boasts an illustrious resume, including a stint as deputy governor of the Bank of England. According to BBC News, this is a clear signal that Starmer intends to play a bigger personal role in the run-up to the Budget and that the government’s economic credibility is now front and center.
Those close to Chancellor Rachel Reeves say she had been pushing for months for the prime minister to strengthen his economic bench. She was reportedly heavily involved in discussions about the broader staff shake-up. The underlying prescription for the next phase of Starmer’s government is “delivery”—a tacit admission that the first year and a bit of his premiership has not gone entirely to plan. The hope is that the new, retooled team will be able to deliver on the prime minister’s priorities much more effectively than before. Still, as BBC News notes, some Labour MPs and advisers remain unconvinced, arguing that the real issue is a lack of clarity about Starmer’s overarching vision.
While the machinery of government was being overhauled in No 10, a parallel debate was unfolding in Parliament over the government’s latest measures to reform the asylum system. Labour MP Graham Stringer voiced skepticism about the effectiveness of proposals put forward by Cooper, the Home Secretary. Stringer remarked, “I doubt the measures Cooper is putting before MPs will be as successful as she and I would wish them to be.” He pointed out a critical flaw: many migrants crossing the Channel in small boats are coming from France, not war-torn countries, and the new policies don’t address the so-called “pull factors” drawing people to the UK in the first place.
Cooper, for her part, confirmed that the government has established a pilot program to return some people who cross the Channel in small boats to France. She also emphasized that more needs to be done to address the factors making the UK attractive to migrants. “There has been a 50% increase in illegal raids and arrests,” Cooper noted, linking this surge to changes in family reunion applications. As part of the broader overhaul, she suspended refugee family reunion applications, a move that has sparked debate both inside and outside Parliament.
The suspension of family reunion applications is a particularly contentious element. Critics argue it could separate families for prolonged periods and place additional strain on already vulnerable individuals. Cooper, however, insists that such steps are necessary to restore order to the asylum system and deter illegal working. The government’s position is that tightening the rules and increasing enforcement will help reduce the number of people making dangerous crossings and relieve pressure on public services.
Stringer’s doubts reflect a wider unease among some Labour MPs. He highlighted that “many migrants are not coming from war-torn countries, they are coming from France,” suggesting that the government’s focus on deterrence may be misplaced. Instead, he argued, the UK needs to address why migrants believe they will have a better life in Britain than elsewhere in Europe. This sentiment echoes concerns from both the left and right of the political spectrum: while some want a more compassionate approach to asylum, others demand tougher action to secure borders and uphold the rule of law.
Starmer’s government now faces the daunting challenge of balancing these competing pressures. The Downing Street shake-up and the asylum reforms are both, in their own ways, attempts to reset the agenda and show that Labour can deliver on its promises. The prime minister’s willingness to make bold changes—even at the risk of alienating allies—suggests he is acutely aware of the stakes. With the autumn Budget fast approaching and migration remaining a flashpoint, the coming months will be a crucial test of whether Starmer’s new team can turn ambition into action.
For now, the UK finds itself at a crossroads. The government’s reorganization and policy shifts reflect both the urgency of the moment and the complexity of the problems at hand. As Starmer and his team press ahead, the country—and Parliament—will be watching closely to see if this new approach can deliver the results that have so far proved elusive.
