The Sunday Take: Starmer now faces his biggest challenge, and he needs the strongest Shadow Cabinet.

by Matthew McPherson, Director of Policy and Public Affairs

A week on from the local elections, and the attention is increasingly turning to the next general election, likely to take place next year. 

Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting MP

Since his election in 2020, Starmer has purged Corbyn supporting colleagues, and made his party relevant to the political debate once again, and last week’s results show that. As things stand today, Labour would gain around 100 seats in a general election and fall just short of an overall majority. 

However, Keir Starmer now faces his perhaps biggest challenge - bridging that gap and showing the party can win an overall majority in the House of Commons. Doing so will not only allow Labour to deliver their manifesto in full, but crushes the idea of a Labour/SNP post-election Coalition that was so damaging for Ed Miliband in 2015. 

As we head towards the next general election, the Purpose Coalition is working closely with Labour Shadow Ministers to bring together innovative leaders and develop policy solutions for the next manifesto. This is being led by Nick Forbes CBE, who served in Sir Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet until 2022, and now leads our work with the Labour Party through Purpose with Labour. Nick has a vast knowledge of the party, having also served on its ruling National Executive Committee, and an understanding of how Labour will approach key issues should they win the election.

All indications point to an imminent Labour reshuffle - the final piece in the jigsaw of Sir Keir’s transformation of the party ahead of the next general election. Strong electoral success, backed up by consistently positive opinion polling gives the Labour Leader the chance to be ruthless, and create a Shadow Cabinet exactly to his liking. 

In short, Keir Starmer needs a punchier front bench with‘more Wes Streeting’s’ to take his message to the country. 

There is near universal agreement that the Shadow Health Secretary is one of the most effective communicators, not just in the Labour Party, but in politics more generally. In his 18 months as Shadow Health Secretary, he has set out a solutions, not ideological focused approach to patient care, changing Labour’s position in key areas such as a willingness to use private care to make sure patients get the help they need as quickly as possible. 

Alison McGovern MP speaks at the Purpose Coalition’s Labour Party Conference Reception in Liverpool

Earlier this week, we were delighted to welcome Wes to our Purpose Coalition Health Launch in Parliament. He is a hugely impressive figure, not only making the time for one on one conversations with healthcare leaders in the room, but during his speech, he was able to take one specific policy area - in this case healthcare - but explain the changes a Labour government will usher in to ensure inclusive growth is shared by all, and that young people in every part of the country have access to the same opportunities. 

Now of course, Sir Keir Starmer can’t clone the Shadow Health Secretary to install him into multiple Shadow Cabinet positions, but there is a whole host of talent in the junior Shadow Ministerial ranks who are ready to take leadership positions. 

Alison McGovern, the Shadow Employment Minister, is a hugely impressive figure, and long-deserving of a promotion. She’s an effective communicator, and has set out a radical Labour policy agenda for job seekers to help the recently unemployed not just get any job, but a job in an industry that fits their skills. At last year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Alison delivered the keynote address at our Purpose Coalition reception, setting out how a future Labour government can work in partnership with business to improve social mobility. Sir Keir would be wise to promote her to the Shadow Cabinet to continue her work on a national level. 

Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, Bill Esterson MP

Labour needs experience of government too, and fresh from his time as South Yorkshire Mayor, Dan Jarvis would be an effective choice to rejoin the Shadow Cabinet. He’s a strong communicator, with a track record of cross-party working. Shadow Business Minister Bill Esterson, who has played a key role in making Labour business-friendly once again could also be an effective pick for a more front-line role, as could Darren Jones, Chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee. 

We are now into the long-campaign of a General Election, and Labour has significant talent, but Keir Starmer needs to be ruthless and ensure he has the strongest team of communicators if he wants to be Prime Minister next year.