London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Keir Starmer urged to create ‘political cabinet’ with other UK Labour leaders

Keir Starmer urged to create ‘political cabinet’ with other UK Labour leaders

PR experts tell party leader to utilise well-respected figures such as Andy Burnham and Mark Drakeford
Keir Starmer should invite the Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, and the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, to join a powerful new “political cabinet” to help Labour shape policy and get its message across to voters, according to a report by PR experts.

“Fit for the future” published by a 1,200-strong network called Labour in Communications, urges Starmer to slim down the shadow cabinet and give a more prominent role to well-respected Labour leaders from around the UK.

The experts also call on Starmer to avoid reams of detailed policy in favour of a more pared-down offering that could ultimately be represented on a 1997-style “pledge card”.

“Labour should look to restructure the shadow cabinet and communicate through a leaner group of members to improve the perception and awareness of Labour’s shadow cabinet among the public,” the report says, highlighting the low public profile and lack of government experience of some on the current frontbench.

“The grouping would effectively operate as a ‘political cabinet’ and would have sole responsibility, as Labour’s dedicated spokespeople, to frame, develop and communicate Labour’s message to the public,” the report adds.

“Figures in power from across the Labour movement – such as Mark Drakeford, Andy Burnham, Sadiq Khan, Tracy Brabin and Steve Rotheram – should be invited to join the political cabinet and given the chance to influence the party’s national strategy and decision-making.”

Including Starmer, Labour’s shadow cabinet currently has 34 members. The shadow cabinet has a formal standing under Labour’s rulebook – but leaders have often taken advice from smaller groupings.

At the height of the Covid-19 crisis, Starmer relied on regular meetings of an inner group, including senior figures such as Rachel Reeves and Nick Thomas-Symonds, to make key decisions – though Drakeford, Burnham and others would probably be too busy with their day-jobs to offer such intensive input.

Burnham was re-elected as Manchester metro mayor with 67% of the vote in May. He became a prominent critic of the government’s Covid policies at key moments during the pandemic, when much of the north-west of England faced stringent lockdown restrictions.

He has not ruled out a return to Westminster and some Labour MPs believe he could be a future leadership candidate.

With Starmer’s first in-person conference speech looming later this month, Labour in Communications urge the Labour leader not to be tempted into setting out a long list of detailed policies or a sweeping political vision.

“All too often politicians feel like they have to set out what George HW Bush disparagingly called ‘the vision thing’: a West Wing-style speech setting out a political leader’s core beliefs that can get voters’ hearts going. Instead, what Keir Starmer should do is concentrate on answering a simple question: why are you in politics and what are you setting out to achieve?” they say.

In a foreword to the report, the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock says: “Not for the first time, we have to rebuild, modernise our methods, restore relevance to our message, show that we have deep commitment to our country and communities and practical answers to the demands facing the British people”.

Tony Blair’s Labour party fought the 1997 general election with the aid of a five-point pledge card, featuring promises including cutting class sizes for five- to seven-year-olds, and cutting NHS waiting lists by treating an extra 100,000 patients.

The report suggests Labour should work towards a similarly bold offering at the next general election, which could come as soon as 2023 – and meanwhile should focus on developing a “unifying narrative” to explain its approach.

Labour in Communications brings together Labour-supporting communications professionals from charities and the private sector as well as inside politics.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×