Starmer's surprise reshuffle triggers wave of late-night resignations
Two cabinet ministers walk before midnight as Number 10 scrambles to fill key briefs by morning.
Downing Street descended into open chaos last night as a planned 'quiet refresh' of the Cabinet escalated into a full-blown reshuffle, with two senior ministers handing in their resignation before the 10 o'clock news had finished.
Sources close to the Prime Minister insist Sir Keir Starmer remains 'completely in control', but allies of the departing ministers paint a very different picture of fraught phone calls and a leader 'increasingly isolated' within his own top team.
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By midnight, the new Education Secretary had been named, but key briefs including Energy and Levelling Up remained unfilled — an unusual gap that opposition MPs were quick to seize upon.
Why now?
The reshuffle was reportedly triggered by polling shared with the Cabinet on Wednesday showing Labour's lead narrowing to single digits in 23 battleground seats.
More appointments are expected before lunchtime.
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