Rising star Darren Jones named chief secretary to PM in Downing Street shake-up

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed one of Labour’s rising stars to a new role at the heart of Government, in a shake-up of his Downing Street operation as MPs return from their summer break.

Darren Jones will be chief secretary to the Prime Minister, a new ministerial role in which he will attend Cabinet. Mr Jones, who had been chief secretary to the Treasury, will be based at No 10 and “directly oversee work across Government to support the delivery of the Prime Minister’s priorities”, Downing Street said. Treasury minister James Murray will replace him as Treasury chief secretary, effectively acting as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ deputy. Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson has replaced Mr Murray as Treasury exchequer secretary. The appointment follows Sir Keir’s recruitment of Baroness Minouche Shafik, an economist and former president of Columbia University in New York, as his chief economic adviser. Lady Shafik’s recruitment is part of a move to build economic expertise within the Government ahead of the budget this autumn, when Ms Reeves is expected to have to make tough tax and spending decisions. The new adviser has also been deputy governor of the Bank of England and permanent secretary at the Department for International Development, a now-scrapped Government department. Tim Allan, a former adviser to Sir Tony Blair’s government, has been appointed the Government’s executive director of communications, as the PM aims to improve communications across his administration. James Lyons, who had been director of strategic communications within No 10, has left his role after a year. As he left, the former print journalist said his role at the heart of Government “was never intended as a long haul”. Last week Sir Keir moved to replace the top civil servant in his No 10 team after less than a year in the post. Nin Pandit, the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary, will take on a new post in September leading on the delivery of key priorities in No 10. Daniel York-Smith has been appointed to replace her within No 10. It was among a string of high-profile departures from No 10 in less than a year, after the exit of chief of staff Sue Gray last October, and communications director Matthew Doyle in March. There have been rumours that junior ministers would face a reshuffle once MPs returned from their summer recess. However, Government insiders have said no reshuffle will take place, at least in the first week of September. Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative Party chairman, said: “This chaotic reshuffle shows a Downing Street in crisis – totally distracted from fixing the damage they’ve done to the economy, jobs and small businesses. It’s like firefighters arguing about the hose whilst the house burns down. “Inflation has doubled, borrowing costs have soared, and Britain is on the brink of a debt crisis, with working people left to pay the price through higher taxes. “Only the Conservatives, under new leadership, will take a responsible approach to the public finances and ensure our economy grows whilst we live within our means.”

Published: 01/09/2025 by Radio NewsHub