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Sir Keir Starmer’s communications chief has resigned after nine months in Downing Street.<\/p>\n
Labour veteran Matthew Doyle, who worked for Tony Blair, was brought in as Sir Keir’s communications director four years ago, when the party was in opposition. <\/p>\n
He is the second senior member of Sir Keir’s team to leave less than a year after the general election, following Sue Gray walking out of the door as his chief of staff in the autumn.<\/p>\n
Mr Doyle’s departure is expected to lead to the promotions of James Lyons to director of communications (strategy) and Steph Driver to director of communications (delivery).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Mr Doyle has more than a quarter of a century of experience with Labour, beginning as the head of press for the party in 1998, before a brief stint as an adviser to David Blunkett, then the work and pensions secretary.<\/p>\n
Moving into Blair’s No 10 in 2005, he rose to become deputy head of communications, and carried on working for Blair after he left office for another five years.<\/p>\n
He spent a period working at the charity International Rescue with David Miliband, the former Blair-era foreign secretary, and set up his own consutancy.<\/p>\n
Mr Doyle joined Sir Keir Starmer’s team in the summer of 2021, arguably the lowest point of his leadership, shortly after a humiliating defeat for Labour in a by-election in Hartlepool.<\/p>\n
An email from Mr Doyle to colleagues this morning, seen by the BBC, said “it’s time to pass the baton on”.<\/p>\n
He added: “I wanted to let you know that I have informed the prime minister I am standing down as director of communications. <\/p>\n
“When I started working for Keir four years ago, not many people though we could win a general election and certainly not in the emphatic way we did.<\/p>\n
“That was down to the hard work and determination of so many people and of course Keir’s leadership.<\/p>\n
“I am incredibly proud of the part I have played in returning our party to government and the change we are already bringing to the country. Now it’s time to pass the baton on.”<\/p>\n
Special advisers from across government are gathering for an away day today, at which new arrangements for Labour’s communications team will be discussed.<\/p>\n
Mr Doyle’s role is expected to be split between Ms Driver, who is Downing Street’s current deputy communications director, and Mr Lyons, a former political journalist and TikTok spinner who joined Number 10 last year.<\/p>\n
Ms Driver will focus on day-to-day interactions with journalists, with Mr Lyons’ attention on managing the grid of forthcoming government announcements.<\/p>\n
The prime minister’s former chief of staff, now Lady Gray of Tottenham, was forced out after a vicious briefing campaign against her by colleagues and gave her maiden speech in the House of Lords yesterday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n