Keir Starmer axes chief of staff to put Labour on ‘election footing’

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Keir Starmer has announced a major shake-up of his political team, including the departure of his chief of staff, Sam White, saying Labour was being put on an immediate election footing.

Boosted by turmoil in the Conservative party and a string of hefty leads in opinion polls, Starmer said the party needed to move into the next phase of election readiness.

In a call with party staff, Starmer said: “We are turning the page to the final act of opposition: driving the Labour party into government. It’s going to get harder as we get closer. But imagine how good it’s going to feel when we complete it. We can achieve what people said was unachievable.”

Labour HQ will now oversee key parts of the party operation including communications and policy development in order to hone its messaging and manifesto offer. No further jobs are expected to be lost.

White, who joined the leader’s office last year having previously been a Treasury special adviser under the former chancellor Alistair Darling, will depart on amicable terms, Labour said.

His exit had been rumoured among shadow cabinet ministers and staffers for several months, with sources suggesting some internal tensions with other main members of Starmer’s team.

In a statement, White said the role of chief of staff to the leader was likely to shrink as attention turned to the election campaign. “The next phase of the campaign needs a different structure, but we part very much as friends with the intent to work together again in the future,” he said.

“You’ll find no greater champion for a Starmer government than me. Britain needs a Labour government and Keir will be the outstanding prime minister we deserve.”

In the call with staff, Starmer said the party had a newfound confidence and a belief that victory was within reach. “The government’s collapse has given us a huge chance. The instability means they could fall at any time. Because of that, we need to get on an election footing straight away.”

But he said that despite polls showing leads of up to 33 points, the party could not be “complacent or cautious” – caution being a criticism of his operation over the past year.

He said the changes to the party structure “will move us on to that election footing. We’ve been planning this for a while but the scale of the Tory collapse has brought it forward.”

Starmer said White “leaves behind a powerful legacy … A great deal of what’s been achieved over the last year wouldn’t have happened without him. I want to thank him for his frank advice, unstinting loyalty and all his support to me during some challenging times.”

He said the role in the leaders’ office would become “a smaller role than Sam signed up for and we both agree as we’re making this change, now is the right time to go. I hope we’ll work together again in the future.”