Cabinet ministers are demanding a rapid shake-up of Keir Starmer’s Downing Street operation, which they say has failed to spot obvious political banana skins, indulged in weeks of post-election infighting and been unable to promote a sufficiently positive story of Labour’s mission in government.
Some senior figures in Starmer’s team want the prime minister to bring in Jonathan Ashworth, the former frontbencher who was a regular and, many believe, effective media performer during the general election campaign, to beef up the team and give it a sharper political edge.
