Keir Starmer’s director of communications Tim Allan steps down | Labour
Keir Starmer’s communications director Tim Allan resigned after just five months in the job; His resignation came a day after the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, also left.
In a brief statement, Allan said: “I have decided to resign to allow the formation of a new No 10 team. I wish the Prime Minister and his team every success.”
The resignation deals a further blow to Starmer’s position amid a fierce debate over his decision to make Peter Mandelson ambassador to Washington despite his close ties to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Allan, Tony Blair’s former deputy press secretary who later founded PR agency Portland, returned to Downing Street in September as part of the latest reshuffle in Starmer’s team, with Darren Jones also promoted to 10th place at the Treasury.
Allan replaces James Lyons, who had been strategic communications director for only a year. Shortly after Allan’s arrival, Steph Driver, head of daily communications number 10, quit due to some concerns that Allan had actually been hired to replace her.
Allan’s appointment was somewhat controversial, in part because Portland had taken on some clients. But losing two senior staff in less than 24 hours will heighten the perception that Starmer’s Downing Street operation is in freefall.
McSweeney announced his resignation on Sunday afternoon after days of pressure from many Labor MPs, saying he took “full responsibility” for his recommendation to send Mandelson to Washington despite his ongoing relationship with Epstein beyond the late financier, who was sentenced to prison for sex trafficking.
While Starmer’s allies hoped McSweeney’s departure would defuse MPs’ anger, the loss of the man seen as the architect of Starmer’s rise to power was a major blow and put the spotlight on why the prime minister approved the Mandelson decision.
Senior Labor sources said McSweeney’s departure left the prime minister dangerously exposed as he heads towards a series of policy and electoral challenges – including by-elections in Gorton and Denton later this month – that could decide his political fate.
A source close to Downing Street said: “Keir has lost his firewall on Mandelson and so many other issues. Where does he think the anger will be directed next?”
Conservatives tried to focus on Starmer. Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Kemi Badenoch said Starmer had allowed McSweeney to “carry the can” for his own decision.
The Conservative leader said: “Keir Starmer knew, he knew. That is his judgment and the fact that he was dishonest, he was dishonest; he claimed he didn’t know, then changed his story and claimed he had been lied to.”
Skills minister Jacqui Smith, who sits in the House of Lords, told Sky News it was McSweeney’s decision to leave. He said: “It was Morgan who thought about the position he was in and, in particular, the extent to which, as I said, he had become the story, and he decided that the best thing for the government he had worked so hard to bring to power was for him to be able to continue to do the job for the country.”
In a statement on Sunday, McSweeney said: “After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from the government. The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He damaged confidence in our party, our country and politics. When asked, I advised the prime minister to make this appointment and I take full responsibility for that recommendation. Responsibility in public life must be embraced not only when it is most convenient but when it is most important. In these circumstances, the only honorable course of action would be to step aside.”
He said the review process for appointments needed a “fundamental overhaul” after the Mandelson affair. “This is not just a gesture, it is an assurance for the future,” he said.
