Sir Keir Starmer has clarified his decision to appoint former Labour leaders Gordon Brown and Baroness Harriet Harman back into government, describing the move as 'future-looking' despite a wave of criticism.
Mr Brown has been handed the role of special envoy on global finance, while Baroness Harman becomes an adviser on women and girls. The appointments are part of the Prime Minister's plan to 'reset' the party following its disastrous election results, which saw Labour lose more than 1,000 seats.
Criticism from Political Opponents
A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'His record on political appointees is as disastrous as his record on the economy, energy and defence. If this is how Starmer plans to 'reset', the Labour leadership contest can't start soon enough.'
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, which won over 1,400 seats, also reacted to the appointments. He said: 'An unpopular Prime Minister who lost a general election is now seen by Starmer as being the saviour. Labour are doomed.'
The party's economics spokesman Robert Jenrick sarcastically added: 'Genius. Bring back the guy who gave away our gold reserves to advise on 'economic resilience'. What could possibly go wrong?'
Starmer's Defence of the Appointments
In response to the criticism, Starmer stated: 'I want women to have the opportunities that they deserve. I want to be able to tackle misogyny, I've made commitments on this and Harriet working with the team is the absolutely right person to do that. So, it's very future-looking, because this is about making sure that every woman has the opportunities that she deserves. And so Harriet will lead on that work, working with the Cabinet, working with the team.'
Regarding Gordon Brown's role, Starmer said: 'For Gordon, obviously, one of the big challenges we face is global finance. The war in Iran is causing real problems, economic impact. We need more spending on defence and security, that needs to come together around international mechanisms, and Gordon's got a track record on that, and so that is building the strong economy of the future. So, on both fronts, they are very future-looking roles. They are vital to how we strengthen our country and take it forward, and provide the opportunities that give people that hope for a better future.'
The appointments have sparked debate about the direction of the Labour Party as it seeks to rebuild after a significant electoral defeat.
