Another Starmer U-turn? PM’s chief secretary Darren Jones ‘turfed out of Number 10’ as new Whitehall boss Antonia Romeo makes her mark
One of Keir Starmer‘s senior aides has been ‘turfed out’ of No10 just seven months after he was appointed as part of a major ‘reset’ of the Prime Minister’s senior team.
Darren Jones was named as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister in September last year as Sir Keir tried to get his administration back on track after MPs’ summer break.
At the time, Downing Street said the newly-created role would see Mr Jones work at the centre of Government as Sir Keir moved into ‘phase two’ of his premiership.
But it has now emerged how Mr Jones, the MP for Bristol North West and a former Treasury minister, has ‘stepped back’ and is spending less time in No10.
‘He’s been turfed out of No10 to all intents and purposes – he’s never there,’ a senior Government source told the Financial Times.
Another said: ‘It’s almost like that job wasn’t a great idea.’
The newspaper reported that Mr Jones has moved aside following the appointment of other key figures at the centre of Government.
Antonia Romeo, the newly-appointed Cabinet Secretary, and Vidhya Alakeson, the acting No10 chief of staff, are said to have ‘come to the fore’ in recent weeks.
Darren Jones was named as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister in September last year as Keir Starmer tried to get his administration back on track
Antonia Romeo was was appointed as the first female Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service in February
Allies of Mr Jones said there had been no falling out with Sir Keir and that he is now focusing on other parts of his job, rather than day-to-day operational work in No10.
Dame Antonia was was appointed as the first female Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service in February.
It came after Sir Keir axed Chris Wormald from the top Whitehall role with a reported payout of around £250,000.
Dame Antonia’s appointment came less than a fortnight after Downing Street was plunged into chaos following the dramatic resignation of Morgan McSweeney.
Sir Keir’s long-serving aide quit as No10 chief of staff, to be replaced on an initial interim basis by Ms Alakeson, as the Government reeled from the damaging Peter Mandelson scandal.
Dame Antonia on Tuesday published her personal objectives as the most senior official in Whitehall.
She is the first Cabinet Secretary to set out her objectives in public for a decade, with the move seen as her establishing her authority in Downing Street.
They described her responsibilities as being ‘the Prime Minister’s principal policy adviser’, ‘supporting proper and effective Cabinet Government and decision-making’ and ‘reforming the civil service so that it is recognised for excellence in delivery, innovation and improved productivity’.
Dame Antonia and Ms Alakeson have been praised for doing a ‘great job’ by Government colleagues since their appointments.
But there could be further upheaval ahead with the PM said to be planning yet another ‘reset’ of his Downing Street team following next month’s local elections.
Sir Keir’s attempted reboot of his administration in September, which saw Mr Jones appointed as the Chief Secretary to the PM, lasted just a matter of days.
On 5 September last year, Angela Rayner quit as deputy PM following a furious tax row with her departure prompting a frantic reshuffle of Cabinet ministers.
Less than a week later, on 11 September, Sir Keir was forced to sack Lord Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: ‘As the Prime Minister and his Chief Secretary have made clear, delivering for the public requires fundamental reform of Government.
‘Darren Jones set out his plan for this in a recent speech; rewiring the state to create more efficient and more convenient public services – and take on defenders of the status quo.’
