Starmer appoints former Blair and Brown aide in bid for Downing Street reset
27 October 2024, 23:10
Sir Keir Starmer has appointed a former aide to Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as his new political director.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Claire Reynolds will be in charge of liaising with MPs across the Parliamentary Labour Party as the Prime Minister takes a series of unpopular decisions he says are needed to fix public services, as first reported by The Guardian.
The former director of the Labour Women's Network has been credited with helping 100 female candidates win seats at the general election and will now take on a senior role in Downing Street.
Read More: Starmer forced into discussion of slavery reparations as Commonwealth chiefs say 'time has come'
Ms Reynolds is married to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and previously worked in Number 10's political office under prime ministers Sir Tony and Mr Brown. She will be paid by the Labour Party.
The appointment is part of a wider overhaul of Sir Keir's Downing Street operation after the replacement of his chief of staff Sue Gray with former campaign manager Morgan McSweeney.
Ms Reynolds will take over from one of Mr McSweeney's two new deputies, Vidhya Alakeson, who until the reshuffle had been political director.
A Labour source said: "We couldn't have someone better qualified than Claire to be leading relationships between No 10, the Labour Party and our politicians.
"Claire's been a candidate, councillor, adviser and organiser, building a fantastic network across the party, and she has supported hundreds, particularly women, to achieve their full potential in the party."
