7 September 2023

As Labour’s much anticipated reshuffle draws to a close, here are four things to note and consider when engaging with Labour ahead of the General Election (expected to take place in Autumn 2024).

1. Winning those “hero voters”

Labour’s reshuffle was deliberately timed to coincide with the arrival of new Chief of Staff, Sue Gray, and ahead of Labour Party Conference in Liverpool in October. It offers a new-look Shadow Cabinet to project the image of a government-in-waiting and reassure voters that there is no risk to voting Labour. In some cases, polished media performers have been promoted ahead of Starmer loyalists from his original leadership campaign, which is another signal that Keir Starmer is placing heavy emphasis on electability, professionalism and credibility. Labour’s election strategy also puts a high value on winning the “hero voters”  in the key marginal constituencies that will determine the outcome of the next General Election. These constituencies include commuter towns and former industrial heartlands in England. Labour is also aware that winning back seats in Scotland is crucial to winning a majority.  Policies will be framed around the priorities of these voters, so, when engaging with Labour, organisations should consider framing their own messaging and priorities to align with this focus.

2. Political thinking driving the policy agenda

A lot has been made of Blairites occupying key positions in Labour’s Shadow Cabinet, with some commentators suggesting there are more Blairites now than even in any of Blair’s own cabinets. It is certainly true that MPs like Wes Streeting, Ian Murray and Liz Kendall proudly and defiantly flew the flag for Blairism during the Corbyn years, and the Tony Blair Institute is now seen as one of the most influential left-wing thing tanks in Starmer’s Labour Party. However, it is also important to remember that there are other political philosophies driving Labour’s policy agenda.

There are five Labour and Co-operative MPs in the Shadow Cabinet, including Jonathan Reynolds, a key member of Starmer’s close circle. The Co-operative Party will have their own General Election manifesto, with key policy asks related to areas such as business and financial services. Furthermore, a number of MPs also come from the communitarian left and engage thoughtfully with the Blue Labour agenda, which is focused on winning back voters in traditional working-class heartlands.

The ”soft left” and trade union-left MPs like Angela Rayner, Anneliese Dodds, Ed Miliband and Louise Haigh continue to occupy key roles too. The nature of Labour’s formal policy process gives voice to a variety of party stakeholders, meaning that Labour’s manifesto will be a pitch to the centre-ground, but will be driven by more politically diverse ideas than just being a repeat of the 1990s. Labour has already announced a wide range of policies – the challenge will be what gets prioritised and this is where the political make-up of the Shadow Cabinet could be key.

3. Next steps for policy development

Shadow Cabinet members will need to get up to speed on new policy areas very quickly. Labour has a formal policy process, outlined in the Party rulebook, and various Shadow Cabinet members also co-chair Policy Commissions and are responsible for developing policy. They also have a role in pushing Keir Starmer’s policy platform through the Party. The National Policy Forum meeting in July agreed the general policy narrative and direction of travel, with those positions agreed now being written into policy documents as we speak before being published ahead of Labour Party Conference in October. Expect some significant policy announcements from the new Shadow Cabinet team at Labour Party Conference, with more work behind the scenes in preparation for the Manifesto.

H/Advisors Cicero is continuously updating our policy trackers so clients can keep up to speed with the all the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat policy announcements relevant to their business. Get in touch here to find out more. 

4. Looking ahead to the next reshuffle

It is expected that this is the team that will lead Labour into the General Election. Whatever the outcome of the next election, however, we are expecting a lot of churn in 2024. Labour is in the midst of candidate selections and Keir Starmer has prioritised attracting “high quality candidates” to fill future positions. Many of the current prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) come from legal or local government backgrounds, but there has been a big push to attract impressive individuals with a wide range of professional and lived experience. This includes at least five veterans who have served in the armed forces and many PPCs with experience in key sectors such as financial services and tech. Labour has also selected former MPs with experience of government, something which is seen as extremely valuable, both now and after the next election. If Labour wins in 2024, it is possible that there will be another reshuffle around six months to a year into the new administration, where some of the rising star PPCs will be brought in.

H/Advisors Cicero publishes a PPC tracker covering all the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs selected to be parliamentary candidates at the next General Election. We also brief clients on “rising stars” to watch.

Please get in touch if you would like to know more about Labour, from policy development to understanding the motivations and make-up of Labour’s political stakeholders. We also offer specialist support and advice about developing your Labour engagement strategies.

Alice Perry is an Associate Director of the UK Public Affairs team at H/Advisors Cicero