Today in Focus A resignation, a reshuffle and a roaring headache for Keir Starmer
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Sep 9, 2025 Rafael Behr, a seasoned Guardian columnist and expert on Labour politics, dissects the turmoil within the Labour Party following Angela Rayner's resignation. He explores the implications of the recent cabinet reshuffle and its impact on Keir Starmer's leadership as they prepare for the next election. The discussion includes David Lammy's shift to deputy prime minister and the critical challenges awaiting the new Home Secretary amid pressing political issues. Behr emphasizes the need for party unity and strategic clarity to navigate these turbulent times.
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Strategic Ministerial Swap
- Yvette Cooper was moved from Home to Foreign to preserve party unity while freeing the Home Office for a closer ally of Starmer.
- The swap signals Number 10 wanted more administrative agility and clearer communication on migration and crime.
Home Office: Career Graveyard
- The Home Office frequently becomes the place where political careers falter due to constant crises and public anger.
- Rafael Behr illustrated this as an 'age-old phenomenon' that everything people feel is wrong lands on the Home Secretary's desk.
Lammy's Functional Repositioning
- David Lammy's move from Foreign Office to Justice is a mixed promotion: less ceremonial but much grittier operationally.
- The deputy prime minister title remains largely ceremonial when detached from the party deputy role.