Keir Starmer’s divisive chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has dramatically stepped down after facing an avalanche of criticism, but many in Westminister will wonder if it’s enough to placate the PM’s critics
If Keir Starmer is to successfully navigate through the choppy waters he finds himself in, he’ll now have to do it without his closest advisor.
Morgan McSweeney has become an almost mythical figure behind the scenes, credited with masterminding Mr Starmer’s ascent to the top of the party and into No10. But he’s also become a lightning rod for criticism after a string of errors and U-turns, and plenty of MPs will be quietly – and not so quietly – glad to see him go.
In his statement Mr McSweeney said that stepping down was the honourable thing to do. Up to now he’s enjoyed the steadfast support of his boss, but it’s been clear for several days that something had to give.
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As we saw with Dominic Cummings in the Boris Johnson era, it’s never good for an advisor to be in the news so much. The appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the White House has been nothing short of a disaster, and furious critics are demanding heads must roll. It could still sink the Prime Minister – but by becoming the fall guy, Mr McSweeney will be hoping he’s given his old boss some breathing space.
The question is whether it’s enough. He admitted giving bad advice, and said he takes full responsibility for advising Mr Starmer to give Mandelson the plum job.
But even if he does deflect some of the fire directed at No10, Mr Starmer is in the heart of the blast zone. He will have to act fast to stop the rot and placate the MPs publicly calling for him to stand aside too.
Politics is a vicious trade, and no top aide to any Prime Minister enjoys support across the board. But Mr Sweeney has been heavily criticised over a string of mis-steps since Labour got back into power.
These include winter fuel, the botched benefits shake-up and dire polling. He was head of political strategy before succeeding Sue Gray as Mr Starmer’s chief of staff, responsible for the day-to-day running of No10.
With his exit, Mr Starmer loses the ally who picked him out from the crowd and helped position him as Labour leader as Jeremy Corbyn’s authority collapsed. Now the PM will have to pick out someone to help steer him out of trouble, restore order to the chaos and get the focus back on policy.
That is no easy ask.