UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who declared a 'national reset' following a regime change, is struggling with various controversies ahead of his 100th day in office and is attempting to shift the mood with a 'Prime Minister's Office reset,' including replacing his chief of staff.
According to British media on the 7th (local time), Chief of Staff Sue Gray resigned the day before. She was paid a salary of ?170,000, higher than that of Prime Minister Starmer, and faced allegations of controlling decisions within the Prime Minister's Office by leveraging so-called 'door-handle power' as the Prime Minister's closest aide.
Morgan McSweeney, the chief political strategist, was nominated as her successor. He was the election strategist who devised the Labour Party's strategy for the landslide victory in the general election last July and was rumored to have conflicts with Gray.
Additionally, Prime Minister Starmer created a new deputy chief of staff position and jointly appointed two women: Vidya Alexon, who handled his external relations during his time as leader of the opposition, and Jill Kusbertson, who was responsible for government relations.
Ninjery Pandit was newly appointed as senior secretary, and James Lyons, a former Sunday Times journalist, joined the communications team.
John McTernan, a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair and a global communication strategist at BCW, told Bloomberg, "10 Downing Street has lacked special advisors and therefore lacked power and grip," adding, "This reset means there will now be a political project driven by a strong political narrative and purpose."
Besides this, the Starmer government is experiencing a decline in approval ratings due to issues such as the 'gift scandal,' involving key cabinet members including the Prime Minister receiving theater tickets and clothing, and cuts to heating subsidies for the elderly. Having declared a 'national reset' upon taking office on July 5th, Starmer is now attempting to change the atmosphere with a 'Prime Minister's Office reset' as his 100th day approaches.
Attention is now focused on the budget to be announced on the 30th. Bloomberg noted that the budget is already under pressure, raising doubts about whether it will be possible to secure more than half of the additional tax revenue planned by the Labour Party to improve the UK public sector.
According to British media, plans under consideration include raising capital gains tax rates on corporate assets and stocks and reducing tax benefits for pension savings, but these are under review due to backlash. There are also reports that the plan to impose a 20% value-added tax (VAT) on private school tuition fees may be postponed due to administrative procedural issues.
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