Mini reshuffle: Four things the Downing Street shakeup reveals

Google’s public data suggests its more political users in Britain are searching for ‘cabinet reshuffle 2025’ today.

They may be less interested to find news only of a shakeup of lesser-known personnel within Downing Street. But the changes (read our full rundown here) still mark a “very substantial reset of the core machine inside No. 10”, as Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Sam White told LabourList today.

Here are a few quick takeaways on what to make of some of the changes:

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1. The search for the defining Keir-list continues

One lesser-noticed but significant aspect of today’s changes is effectively a revised mission statement for the government itself: the choice of three new top priorities.

Note what is chosen and what isn’t in this morning’s statement by Number 10: “Today the Prime Minister has bolstered the Downing Street operation as this government delivers on the country’s priorities: growth people feel in their pockets, secure borders, and getting the NHS back on its feet.”

It won’t escape anyone’s notice either that this is the latest in a long line of priority lists – signalling just how hard the government is finding it sticking to one core, fixed message in an ever-changing political landscape.

We’ve had Keir Starmer’s (admittedly member-facing, not public-facing) 10 leadership campaign pledges, six National Policy Forum priorities, six milestones, six ‘first steps’, five missions, three ‘foundations’ bolted onto the missions, two priorities (living standards and immigration), and growth as priority number one.

It’s all a little 12 days of Christmas. But at least one Labour source suggests they’re hopeful new comms chief Tim Allan may be able to “help the PM narrow down his offer to the nation”. Better late than never.

2. Darren Jones got the job with good reason

It’s worth remembering Darren Jones only became an MP in 2017, and only joined the shadow cabinet two years ago.

Now The Guardian, which appears to have been briefed first by Downing Street on his appointment as chief secretary to the Prime Minister, suggests he’ll be “in charge of day-to-day delivery of PM’s priorities”.

That is a stellar rise for Jones, and also marks a stark contrast with the troubles of his Treasury boss and ally Rachel Reeves since Labour came to power.

You can see the logic though – as Jones may well already be more across the detail of what every department is doing than any other minister.

He got deep into the weeds as part of the Spending Review. His speech earlier this year at the Institute for Government suggests he’s genuinely passionate about some of the nitty-gritty of reforming Whitehall itself.

READ MORE: Cabinet rankings: Kendall overtakes Reeves as least popular minister among Labour members

The speech laid bare some internal reforms you’d guess he may now keep spearheading in his current role, and is well worth a read for clues about both the detail of changes to how government works, and an insight into Jones’ character.

Jones probably isn’t every cabinet member’s best friend – he was the one fending off their demands for more cash at the Spending Review. But he finished eight in our most recent cabinet favorability poll, and a fair few LabourList readers (hopefully not all in his parliamentary office) sang his praises when we asked their views this morning.

‘Darren Jones is impressive and a good communicator which Starmer needs,’ said one. ‘Darren Jones is a star. Having him closer to the PM will only be a good thing,’ said another. ‘Darren Jones is very capable. A lot is riding on him being able to articulate a clear narrative going forward.’

3. Government comms looks more and more like a poisoned chalice

First Matthew Doyle exited stage left, and now James Lyons follows him.

Leading communications is one of the most fiendishly difficult jobs in government. Many will see James Lyons’ exit after less than a year as director of strategic communications, and Doyle’s short tenure at Number 10 before that, as evidence of that.

READ MORE: Labour Party Conference 2025: Full LabourList events programme revealed

Right on cue, one Labour source texted: “Hopefully now we will have more direction on messaging from Number 10 than ‘put Plan for Change in every quote and press release’.”

Another also criticised Lyons’ tenure. It may be few people can resist the lure of Downing Street, but it may also be that the more the door revolves and the more people shoot the messengers, the less appealing it becomes.

Many members and politicians are unhappy with the government’s first-year messaging, but some in the comms world will sympathise with the verdict of Lee Cain, a former comms chief under the Tories.

He posted on X: “It’s easy for the failure to be pinned on the comms team for not ‘selling’ a great agenda but the real issue goes untouched. You can sharpen a message, but you can’t transform bad policy or cover for a lack of agenda with communications alone.”

As one government source put it bluntly to the BBC‘s Joe Pike: “Who the f*** wants to work there when your job expectancy is approx nine months and you’re publicly humiliated by your colleagues?”

4. One way of improving government comms risks war with the lobby

One major challenge for Tim Allan and new permanent secretary David Dinsmore is that one seemingly logical, seemingly looming improvement to government comms would put them on collision course with major media outlets – tilting comms’ teams focus a little more towards social media and other ways of reaching voters directly, over lobby journalists’ heads.

Cain claims government comms is “miles behind the public”. For one Labour source, it’s an significant but tough enough shift that moving to “social (media)-first operation” altogether is one of the key metrics of success for Allan.

They sound optimistic, though.  “Tim is a grown up and will not be afraid to challenge people.”

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