One episode that shone a light on the hidden structures is recounted in Get In, Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund’s book about Labour’s road to power: it recounts the moment in 2022 when it seemed that Starmer and Angela Rayner might have to stand down if they were found by Durham police to have broken coronavirus law.
Urgent consultations by Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s campaign co-ordinator, established that the shadow cabinet would appoint John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, as a caretaker leader to oversee a leadership election.
One cabinet minister was quoted, anonymously, by Patrick Maguire, the chronicler of the Labour government: “Richard seems to be under the impression that the government needs objective legal advice.”.
That report named three ministers as being in danger of demotion: Richard Hermer, the attorney general; Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary; and Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.
It is less clear what Nandy is supposed to have done wrong, but it is said that she offended Starmer during the Labour leadership campaign five years ago when she was the rival candidate of the non-Corbynites.
