Morgan McSweeney's fall offers a new beginning. Starmer and his cabinet had better grab it | Polly Toynbee

"Here is something they can't take away from him: Morgan McSweeney is often credited for Labour's remarkable turnaround from the abyss of the 2019 election to the astounding landslide of 2024. Few thought it could be done. The Tories did all they could to help, but it took clever strategy and ruthless tactics to pull off what no pollsters predicted in the immediate wake of Boris Johnson's 80-seat majority."

"But it turned out that the skills that win election campaigns are not those that run a government. His resignation today will do little to shore up Keir Stamer's precarious position. Man or woman overboard! has been the frequent cry from the decks of No 10. After just 18 months, here's a roll call of the drowned, all from senior posts selected by Starmer with fanfare, only to make them walk the plank:"

"McSweeney became the punch bag for everything that has gone wrong in the Labour party: it was ever harder to tell exactly when he was or wasn't to blame. I take full responsibility, he says, for advising the disastrous Peter Mandelson appointment. As Mandelson's protege, follower and third-way mimic, he tugged the party rightwards to chase votes for ever lost to Nigel Farage, when all the polls said go left, fetch back Green and Liberal Democrat supporters:"

Morgan McSweeney is widely credited with Labour's turnaround from the 2019 collapse to the 2024 landslide. He used clever strategy and ruthless tactics to secure an unexpected victory after Boris Johnson's large majority. Campaign skills proved different from those needed to run government, and McSweeney's resignation will not significantly strengthen Keir Starmer's precarious standing. Numerous senior figures chosen by Starmer have left after short tenures, raising questions about leadership. McSweeney accepted responsibility for advising the Peter Mandelson appointment. His Mandelson-aligned approach shifted Labour rightwards to chase voters lost to Nigel Farage, contrary to polls urging moves left. U-turns have become a hallmark of Starmer's political style. Labour retains a colossal majority and faces leadership choices going forward.

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