In the run-up to the general election, Keir Starmer was constantly compared to Tony Blair. Parallels were often considered insults when they were highlighted by the left. When they arrive, labor is fine, especially after the end of the landslide, and they are commendable.
Starmer criticized Blair for his ruthlessness to his own party, his attempts to build relationships with business and his pursuit of public service reforms. But he is more cautious, less seduced by the glitz, and more to the soft-left in his own view.
Although he borrowed from Blairism, friends insist he was his own man. Having entered politics late in his career, he is less likely to think of himself in traditional ideological terms. Although he surrounds himself with ministers and advisers with New Labor connections, they say he is more interested in their experience and skills.
Alan Milburn
As health secretary from 1999 to 2003, Milburn made some radical changes, including the creation of charitable trusts, which are semi-autonomous from government control. The current health secretary, Wes Streeting, supported her attendance at meetings of the Department of Health and Social Care before she took up any official role, praising her track record in selecting patients and reducing waiting lists.
Pat McFaddenChancellor of the Duchy Lancaster
McFadden's Cabinet Office, the most powerful politician you've never heard of, is central to everything the empire does. A veteran of Tony Blair's era, he worked with Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell on the 1997 election campaign and was later Blair's political secretary. The Wolverhampton South East MP has a reputation for quiet but ruthless efficiency.
Liz KendallSecretary for Work and Pensions
Kendall was Harriet Harman's political adviser on social security after Labor's victory in 1997, and was a senior figure in the line to cut single-parent benefits. He later served in the Department of Trade and Industry and then Health, before becoming an MP in 2010. Five years later, he ran for Labor leadership as Blair's ideological successor, championing the free schools program and private sector involvement. In the NHS. He finished fourth with 4.5% of the vote.
Peter KyleSecretary of Science and Technology
Another former New Labor special adviser, Kyle worked in the Cabinet Office focusing on social exclusion policy before entering the voluntary sector. He was elected Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade in 2015 and supported Kendall in that year's Labor leadership election. Backed Owen Smith in a failed bid to replace Jeremy Corbyn in 2016. A staunch centrist, Kyle has spoken of the “politics of envy,” a term sometimes used to attack the left. His priorities as technology secretary are public service reform – particularly within the NHS – and economic growth, with a focus on AI.
Douglas AlexanderMinister of Trade and Economic Security
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Because of their shared Scottish roots, Alexander was also close to Blair. He coordinated the 2001 general election campaign that won New Labor its second term. He was gifted a ministerial post and promoted in the cabinet. He co-chaired David Miliband's leadership campaign after Labor lost the 2010 election. He lost his own seat in 2015 but returned this year and was immediately promoted to trade minister.
Jackie SmithSkill Minister
Smith, a former New Labor minister, was promoted to chief whip by Blair, then appointed the UK's first female home secretary by Gordon Brown before resigning over an expenses scandal. He made a surprise return to front-line politics when Starmer offered him a role and a job in the education department. At the Home Office he oversaw controversial policies including the holding of terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge and identity cards.
Jonathan PowellAmbassador of Chacos
A former diplomat is the only senior adviser. Ranked 10th all-time for Blair. He was his chief of staff and his main right wing from 1997 to 2007. He was also the lead British negotiator on the Northern Ireland peace process, one of New Labour's successes. Starmer, a foreign policy expert, appointed him ambassador to negotiate the future of the Chacos Islands, which resulted in England controversially ceding sovereignty to Mauritius.
