Miliband not planning an “imminent” reshuffle

There will be no Labour reshuffle in the days ahead. Despite rumours in The Sun this morning about changes at Labour’s top table (described to me as “nonsense” by a senior Labour figure), Ed Miliband is not planning on changing the Shadow Cabinet just yet.

Rumours of a reshuffle had been circulating for months. Indeed, I wrote about the changes Miliband would be looking to make back in July – those knocking on the door of the shadow cabinet, the unmoveables, the dark horses and the old hands – I’d stand by all of that today. The rationale within the party was clearly that there were two windows of opportunity for a Miliband reshuffle. Either he could move at the start of the summer (enabling his team to bed in over the summer months ahead of the Scottish referendum) or he’d be forced to wait until after conference season to reshuffle his pack. In the end, he appears to have done neither. Whilst a reshuffle at some point in future hasn’t been ruled out (it’s always a good idea for a leader to keep the option on the table), the amount of time in which such a change can realistically happen before election day is diminishing. 6-8 weeks is the window of opportunity before Christmas is upon us, and a reshuffle in the New Year would look panicked with an election in sight.

A reshuffle is not imminent, but if we don’t see one in the next couple of months, we likely won’t see one until after the election.

What impact will this have on the party? It will allow the Shadow Cabinet to relax, because they’re not at risk of an immediate job change. But it might also mean that some of those who were holding their tongues during a difficult few weeks for fear of faring badly in a reshuffle will no longer be so circumspect. But perhaps most importantly of all, it will prolong the unity of purpose that Miliband feels essential, as he told the PLP last night.

Tossing big names out of the Shadow Cabinet or radically altering their roles would have sacrificed that unity at a febrile time, but changes that keep all oft he major players in their current roles wouldn’t make a great deal of impact – other than giving Miliband an opportunity to make good on his promise to have a 50% female shadow cabinet, and appeal to those who want to see more Northern working-class voices in the Shadow Cabinet. Both of these are worth doing, but what’s most important right now is to have people in the Shadow Cabinet who are highly trusted (in the party and with the public) and strong campaigners who will appeal to the party’s disaffected core vote.

If a reshuffle comes at a later date, those are some of the changes Miliband should be aiming for.