Labour was not prepared to govern in 2024, says Morgan McSweeney

Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has stated that the Labour Party was not sufficiently prepared to govern or to face the volatile global landscape when Starmer first took office.

McSweeney, widely credited within the party as the architect of their 2024 election victory, said there was no clear theory on how to deliver rapid change for people who wanted it. The former No 10 aide, who resigned in February over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, spoke on the record for the first time, saying he wanted to "move on to a new chapter" beyond Labour and UK politics.

He said he plans to pursue a "completely different direction" professionally, with no immediate plans to return to politics. "I can't say forever, but certainly for the next few years I'm committing to being out of politics for at least the next few years ahead," McSweeney said.

Speaking on the BBC's Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast, McSweeney shared anecdotes from his time in No 10, including that Donald Trump complained about foxes becoming obese by eating birds killed by wind turbines. "I think that we didn't prepare enough for what kind of world we were going to be in," he said.

McSweeney suggested Labour should have been better prepared to offer faster change and aware of the public's speed of judgment given how many politicians have broken promises. "You have to deliver quite quickly for people for them to see the change quickly, and I think we didn't come in with enough of a theory about how we would do that," he added.

Asked whether Sue Gray, whom he replaced as chief of staff in October 2024, was responsible for the lack of preparation, McSweeney said it was "not about one individual". "When I say we weren't prepared, I really do mean the Labour party more generally," he said. "I take my own responsibilities for that, rather than blaming one person."

He acknowledged that the initial tone was too negative and that Labour should have been "way more optimistic when we started". On current Prime Minister Andy Burnham, McSweeney expressed optimism and support for the 'No 10 North' initiative, saying it would be good for top officials to live outside London.

McSweeney also recalled that it was sometimes hard for officials to contain their laughter during calls with US President Donald Trump. In the first call with Starmer, Trump complained about windmills killing too many birds, leading to foxes becoming so fat and lazy that people no longer knew what kind of creature they were.