Katy Balls Katy Balls

Labour prepares to fire up its election machine

Keir Starmer (Credit: Getty images)

Could a snap election be around the corner? That’s the message Keir Starmer relayed to party staff in a conference call this morning. He told those assembled that the economic turmoil following the Chancellor’s not-so-mini Budget means the government ‘could fall at any time’. As a result, his party needs to be election ready: ‘We have to recognise it is that unstable. We need to be ready. We need to get on an election footing straight away’.

This isn’t the first time in recent months that figures in Labour have said they’re on an election footing – it’s a useful line to garner attention and rally the base. But this time Starmer’s words are accompanied with a number of significant changes. The party is being relocated to a new headquarters (rumoured to be south London) and a shake-up of his team is underway.

Starmer’s challenge is to keep his party focussed – suggesting an election could happen at any moment helps to do that

Starmer’s chief of staff Sam White is to leave his role. A restructuring is under way whereby policy and communication roles will move to Labour headquarters and will report to the general secretary David Evans. According to one party insider, White’s departure shows a change of focus towards preparing for the election. Under the new plans, the leader’s office will play a smaller role.

The changes come following the controversial deselection of Sam Tarry. The former shadow minister was ousted last night as the MP for Ilford South by local party members in favour of Jas Athwal. While party figures are quick to put the result down to local factors, it is not lost on Labour centrists that Tarry was on the left of the party, previously helping to organise Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign.

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