PM loses third senior aide in weeks as Downing Street team continues to unravel on eve of Labour conference
Sir Keir Starmer’s director of communications Steph Driver has become the latest senior aide to quit No 10, confirming her departure today amid a continuing shake-up of the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
Ms Driver, who worked alongside Sir Keir for five years in opposition before joining him in Downing Street, announced her resignation on the eve of the Labour Party conference, dealing another blow to an already embattled Prime Minister.
The departure marks the third high-profile exit from Starmer’s team in recent weeks and comes at a critical moment as the PM faces mounting pressure over his leadership, with Labour trailing Reform UK in recent opinion polls.
It has been an honour to work with and advise Keir through opposition and into government,” Ms Driver said in a statement. Being part of the team to rebuild and rebrand the Labour party before securing an historic general election victory is an achievement and experience like no other.
She added: “I’m also proud of what this government has already delivered, and thank the sharp and talented No 10 press team for their hard work and support during my tenure.”
Sir Keir praised Ms Driver’s contribution, saying: “Steph played a leading role in transforming the Labour party and delivering our historic general election win. I will for ever be grateful for her calm, wise counsel, leadership and humour. I wish her all the best in her undoubted onward success.”
A senior Labour source told reporters it was “impossible to express what a big loss it is,” adding: “It is incredible how casual they have been about losing their best and most loyal people.”
Ms Driver’s exit follows a turbulent period for the Prime Minister’s office. Earlier this month, No 10 strategic communications director James Lyons dramatically announced he was leaving the role after less than a year, having replaced Matthew Doyle in March.
The departures have prompted a significant restructuring of the communications team. Tim Allan, a former aide to Tony Blair, was brought in as executive director of communications to replace Lyons, a move that reportedly created tensions within the existing team structure.
Sources inside Downing Street suggest that numerous political staff were unhappy with the Blairite veteran Allan’s placement above Driver in the hierarchy, contributing to an atmosphere of instability within the communications operation.
The resignation comes just days after director of strategy Paul Ovenden quit over resurfaced messages from 2017 containing sexually explicit comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott. Ovenden, who earned between £115,000 and £120,000 annually, had been considered one of the most important architects of Labour’s election victory.
The Prime Minister has also recently lost deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who resigned following a tax scandal, and Lord Peter Mandelson, who was sacked as British Ambassador to the US over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ms Driver had been promoted to director of communications earlier this year after her predecessor Matthew Doyle quit following what Cabinet ministers described as repeated complaints about Labour’s media strategy. Doyle’s departure in March marked the second senior exit in less than a year, following former chief of staff Sue Gray’s forced resignation.
Driver started her career as deputy director of communications in Downing Street before being elevated to the top role. She had previously worked under Doyle when he returned to Labour during the opposition years, having previously served under Tony Blair.
Political commentators suggest the latest resignation reflects deeper structural problems within No 10. “This is a severe blow to the Starmer operation,” one insider noted, adding that other staff members are now “considering their positions.”
The timing could hardly be worse for Sir Keir, who faces his party conference beginning this weekend with questions mounting about his leadership. Labour MPs are openly warning that the Prime Minister has until May’s local elections to turn around public opinion, with some already discussing potential successors including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Ms Driver confirmed that before summer, she had already announced to some colleagues her intention to leave government, though the exact timing of her departure appears to have been accelerated by recent events.
“I’m grateful to the prime minister for his continued faith in me and my work, and for his offer of an open door in the future. His Labour government has my unwavering support,” she said in her parting statement.
The communications team exodus has left Sir Keir increasingly isolated at a time when his government faces significant challenges, including managing the fallout from unpopular budget decisions and addressing concerns about illegal immigration.
With Reform UK leader Nigel Farage emerging as what some describe as “the most likely external threat” to the Prime Minister, and Labour trailing in polls just over a year after their historic election victory, the loss of experienced communications professionals could hardly come at a more challenging time.
As the Labour conference approaches, Sir Keir must now attempt to steady his ship without several of the key figures who helped navigate him to power. The question facing delegates will be whether the Prime Minister can rebuild his team quickly enough to reverse his government’s declining fortunes.
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