The open crisis at number 10 Downing Street There seems to be no end in sight. The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has suffered a new blow to its authority with the resignation of his head of CommunicationTim Allan, who announced his departure this Monday after just five months in office. The announcement came less than 24 hours after the departure of Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeneyfor his role in the appointment as ambassador to Washington of Peter Mandelsonlinked to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“I have decided to resign to allow a new team at number 10 [de Downing Street]. I wish the Prime Minister and his team much success,” Allan assured in a brief statement. The until now Head of Communication was the fourth person to hold the position since the Labor Party came to power in July 2024, something that has been interpreted as a sign of the internal tensions in Starmer’s team and the Prime Minister’s difficulties in exercising leadership both in the Government and in his party.
Allan was was a veteran advisor of the Labor Party. He began his career in 1992 with Tony Blair and was part of his press team during his time as opposition leader. After Labor’s victory in 1997, he served as Deputy Head of Communications at Downing Street, a position he held until 2001, when he left politics to move to the private sector. Starmer recovered him for his team more than two decades later, but his short period has not served to stop the decline of the popularity of the government.
Internal pressure
The resignation has further damaged the figure of a prime minister who is going through his worst moment since coming to power. The Mandelson and Epstein scandal has outraged members of his own caucus, some of whom he questioned its continuity in office this weekend. Starmer will hold a meeting with the deputies of your party this afternoon, in an attempt to contain an internal rebellion that is gaining more and more strength, although the lack of a clear candidate to replace him seems to prevent this possibility in the short term.
Starmer hopes to put this crisis to rest as soon as possible and to maintain the support of yours to continue leading the Government and meet its main objectives, including economic growth and the improvement of public services. “We must show that politics can be a force for good. I believe it can be. I believe it is. We’ll move forward from here. We will continue with confidence as we continue to change the country,” he assured this Monday in a message addressed to his team. A goal that, for now, is very far from achieving.
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