How the Downing Street machine ensured Starmer survived to fight another day
Around 1,30pm on Monday, Downing Street officials feared the worst,Anas Sarwar, the Scottish leader, had announced an impromptu press conference at which he was expected to call for Keir Starmer to stand down, and those close to the prime minister were worried senior ministers would soon follow suit,What followed was three hours of frenetic activity as a group of about 10 ministers and officials at the top of government hit the phones in a desperate – and ultimately successful – attempt to shore up the prime minister’s position,It was Downing Street’s first test without Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, whose resignation on Sunday arguably precipitated Monday’s chaotic events.
And those who were part of the operation say the new team proved they could thrive even without the man who has been at the prime minister’s side since he became Labour leader,“It was swift, organised and united,” said one government insider,“It was an excellent operation by some really excellent operators,” said another,The drama of the last few days began on Friday as McSweeney flew home to Scotland after a turbulent week during which it had become clear how close his mentor Peter Mandelson had been to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,Throughout the week Starmer had insisted McSweeney was going nowhere.
“Morgan McSweeney is an essential part of my team,” he said at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.“He helped me change the Labour party and win an election.Of course I have confidence in him.”But by the weekend, with Mandelson now under investigation by the police, McSweeney was having doubts about whether he should stay, according to those close to him.Over the weekend the prime minister kept in regular touch with his chief of staff while others in London advised him on the best path out of the Mandelson scandal.
One of them was Richard Hermer, the attorney general who has known Starmer since they both worked as barristers at Doughty Street Chambers in the early 2000s.One government source said Hermer’s advice had been key in persuading the prime minister to accept the departure of the man who helped elect him Labour leader and put him in Downing Street.One ally of Hermer, however, denied that his had been an “important role”.After several phone calls between Starmer and McSweeney, the chief of staff decided he was not getting the backing he needed to carry on in his role, and so decided to resign.His friends were dismayed, accusing the prime minister of allowing McSweeney to take the blame for a decision made by multiple people.
The group of people who knew any of this was kept extremely small.Hours before he announced his departure, the work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, told the BBC his resignation would not “make any difference at all”.Downing Street staff were only shown McSweeney’s resignation statement a minute before it was sent to reporters.No 10 staff came into work on Monday morning unsure of how the operation would run given the departure of the second most important person in the building.Late on Sunday evening, Starmer had appointed McSweeney’s two deputies, Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson, as his temporary replacements.
However, the fact that both were given “acting” titles meant several others were jostling for position in the expectation that they could get the job in the long term,But the new operation was put to the test far sooner than anyone expected,Just before 11am, Starmer’s director of communications, Tim Allan, announced he was following McSweeney out of the door, with reporters once again being notified at the same time as Downing Street staff,Starmer did not mention this at a staff meeting at 10am, sources say, because it had not yet been made official,As officials began processing Allan’s departure, it became clear Sarwar was going to make a major intervention.
At around 12,45pm, the Scottish Labour leader announced an unexpected press conference in Glasgow,He confirmed in a call with Starmer he would use that press conference to call for the prime minister’s departure,In Downing Street officials started making calls,Led by Cuthbertson and Amy Richards, Starmer’s political director, Starmer’s aides began calling ministers to gauge their loyalty, beginning at cabinet level.
Ministers were given a form of words they should use to make clear their support for the prime minister.Stuart Ingham, Starmer’s director of strategic interventions, and Sophie Nazemi, his press secretary, pitched in.Jonathan Reynolds, the chief whip, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, added some cabinet heft to the operation.Meanwhile, Varun Chandra, the prime minister’s business adviser, began speaking to business leaders to talk about how disruptive a change of prime minister could be for the UK economy.One business leader said: “The last thing we need at the moment is the chaos of a leadership election or uncertainty about who is going to be our prime minister.
The UK has just about got things under control and the world stage is a turbulent place.”Starmer’s advisers worried Sarwar’s announcement would be a prelude to resignations by other ministers, culminating in that of Wes Streeting, the health secretary, and one of the prime minister’s most likely successors.Their concerns were not helped by the sight of Streeting dashing across the atrium of Portcullis House, parliament’s modern annexe, followed by a period of silence from the health secretary on social media.Other senior ministers had begun posting their own support for the prime minister, most of them focusing on the mandate won by Starmer at the election less than two years ago and the importance of “delivering the change this country voted for”.Streeting, it turned out, had been recording an episode of the Electoral Dysfunction podcast for Sky News, during which he gave his own endorsement of the prime minister.
“Keir Starmer doesn’t need to resign,” he said.“Give Keir a chance.”Angela Rayner, another potential challenger, added her own support.“I urge all my colleagues to come together, remember our values and put them into practice as a team,” she posted on X.In Downing Street, there was a collective sigh of relief.
The putsch had not arrived and the prime minister lived to fight another day,
The Guide #229: How an indie movie distributed by a lone gamer broke the US box office
Two very unusual films were released last weekend. One you will have absolutely heard of: Melania, the soft-focus hagiocumentary of the US first lady, which was plonked into thousands and thousands of often entirely empty cinemas across the globe by Amazon and Jeff Bezos in what is widely perceived as a favour-currier to the White House. Melania’s $7m takings in the US were marginally better than forecasted (and far ahead of the risible numbers for the film elsewhere) but, given the documentary’s vast cost, still represents a dramatic loss (especially if the rumour that Amazon paid for the film to be in some cinemas is true). Then again, this was a rare multimillion dollar film where the primary marker of success was probably not financial.The other unusual film released last weekend you are less likely to have heard of, even though it dwarfed Melania’s takings
From Lord of the Flies to Deftones: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Adolescence writer Jack Thorne takes on the classic tale of deserted schoolboys, while the US band warm up for a pummelling summer of alt metal100 Nights of HeroOut nowMaika Monroe plays a woman shut up in a castle with her husband’s handsome and seductive best friend (Nicholas Galitzine) who has made a wager that he can tempt her to stray from her marriage. Sharp-witted maid Hero (Emma Corrin) clocks what’s going on and does her best to foil the dirtbag’s schemes, in this fairytale fantasy from Julia Jackman. Charli xcx also stars.My Father’s ShadowOut nowṢọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Slow Horses) stars in a semi-autobiographical debut from Akinola Davies Jr in which an estranged father travels through the city of Lagos in Nigeria with his two young sons during a day of violent unrest following the 1993 election crisis.HamletOut nowSomething is rotten in the state of England: Riz Ahmed plays Shakespeare’s famous Dane as a scion of a wealthy British South Asian family in Aneil Karia’s modern take on probably the most famous play of all time
Volcanic vulvas and hermaphrodite marble: Ovid’s Metamorphoses reshaped at the Rijksmuseum
Artists from Bernini to Louise Bourgeois are brought together in a new exhibition exploring the uncomfortable erotic parables of the ancient Roman poetOn three massive screens in a darkened room, snakes glide over the face of artist Juul Kraijer – covering her eyes, caressing her lips. She is the silent but terrifying snake-headed Medusa, and one of the surprises in an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam revolving around Greek and Roman myths.While the show features rarely lent works from masters such as Caravaggio, Bernini, Rodin and Brâncuși, it marries them with modern artists who reinterpret the legends where male gods do all they can to get their wicked way and the powerless are punished. Transgender bodies, bare breasts and even a volcanic vulva appear in artworks inspired by Roman poet Ovid’s masterpiece, Metamorphoses.Taco Dibbits, general director of the Rijksmuseum, believes the 200 myths and legends from this ancient epic poem still speak to our uncertain times
‘One of the most stunning sights in the country’: your picks for UK town of culture
From pirates and skateboarders in Hastings to legends and locks in Devizes, from dolphins in Scarborough to the ‘artists’ town’ of Kirkcudbright, readers put forward their favourite placesCulture secretary Lisa Nandy has launched a search for the UK’s first “town of culture”, similar to the city of culture programme, which honoured Bradford last year. After the Guardian’s writers nominated theirs – including Ramsgate in Kent, Falmouth in Cornwall, Abergavenny in Monmouthshire and Portobello in Edinburgh – we asked readers which UK towns they would put forward.Culture in Hastings grows out of the shingle and the wind and the friction between past and present. You can feel it in the fishing fleet hauled up on the beach, still part of daily life, and then a short walk away in bold contemporary spaces showing work that speaks far beyond the town. It shows up in events that belong to the people who live there; Jack in the Green spilling through the streets; Pirate Day turning the whole place into a shared act of play; music competitions that quietly bring international talent into a town that never pretends to be grand
From Dorset to the world: wave of donations helps to secure Cerne giant’s home
It feels like a very British monument: a huge chalk figure carved into a steep Dorset hillside that for centuries has intrigued lovers of English folklore and legend. But an appeal to raise money to help protect the Cerne giant – and the wildlife that shares the landscape it towers over – has shown that its allure stretches far beyond the UK.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
‘She’s a grown woman’: skiers defend Lindsey Vonn’s decision to race despite crash
The flawed Patriots face a harsh truth: only the very best teams get a Super Bowl sequel
Tearful Kirsty Muir rues agonising fourth place in Winter Olympics slopestyle
Bad Bunny and jingoism lite: was this the Super Bowl where woke roared back?
‘I’m a freer spirit’: Wallabies winger Dylan Pietsch on staying grounded through art
England’s habit of ‘winning ugly’ in tight games gives them T20 World Cup hope