Where has Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet gone?

Since the general election, many members of the cabinet besides the prime minister have been prevalent in the media. Rishi Sunak has become an out and out superstar, even occasionally lauded by portions of the centre-left media. Matt Hancock, for good or ill, has become a constant presence throughout the crisis. Yet it’s amazing how little impact the shadow cabinet, other than Starmer, has managed to make during the same period. This could be part of a deliberate strategy by Labour – aimed at establishing Starmer’s ‘new leadership’ and worrying about the rest later – but sooner or later, his lieutenants are going to have to start shining. Otherwise, they will all be defined by the Tories in the worst possible terms when the time is right.

In picking his shadow frontbench back in April, Starmer seemed to focus on two factors. One was competence. The person getting the job had to know their brief.