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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rowena Mason, Jessica Elgot and Eleni Courea

Furore over Labour cronies ‘no worse than Tories’ in government, allies say

Keir Starmer among his cabinet members and government officials ini 10 Downing Street
Keir Starmer chairs first meeting of his cabinet at Downing Street. Senior Labour figures have defended the PM over cronyism allegations and claim they feel exposed in areas where cabinet ministers have no experience of government. Photograph: Chris Eades/AFP/Getty Images

“Of course we were always going to get ‘our people’ in! It’s what you do,” says one bemused veteran of the 1997 Labour government.

Old political hands regard the furore over Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves installing “cronies” into government jobs as par for the course – and certainly no worse than what the Tories have done for more than a decade.

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