Keir Starmer's reshuffle is about doubling down on Labour's new seriousness

WHEN Sue Gray worked in government one of her many sought-after skills was her advice W on reshuffles. Today she reports for duty as Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff and will walk straight into a reshuffle.

- Philip Collins

In a way this is an odd time to change the shadow cabinet. A few people are going to have to scribble a new speech for Labour party conference without much notice.

That said, there should be a clear purpose to the changes which is to assemble the Labour team which will form the next government. Sue Gray has come into Starmer's office, with an impeccable pedigree as a Whitehall insider, to work on the transition into government. It is to be hoped she wastes no time on further reforms to government departments. Which brings us to the reshuffle and which person should sit where.

The top team Rachel Reeves at the Treasury, Wes Streeting at Health and Yvette Cooper at the Home Office - is likely to remain unchanged, but there were some important questions to be resolved. The biggest question was always the destination of Angela Rayner. The deputy leader of the Labour party is an elected position so Rayner will remain Starmer's effective number two irrespective of his decision. But Starmer has chosen a significant promotion, from the non-job of shadowing Oliver Dowden at the Cabinet Office to the Department of Levelling Up and a guarantee that she will be Deputy Prime Minister in a Labour government.