Prime Minister Keir Starmer appoints Gordon Brown as envoy on global finance and Harriet Harman as adviser on women and girls after major Labour election losses.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has moved to reshape parts of his team with new appointments for Gordon Brown and Baroness Harriet Harman, days after Labour suffered major losses in elections across the UK.
Starmer named Brown, a former prime minister, as his special envoy on global finance. Brown visited Downing Street on Saturday morning as part of the announcement, and the role is set to focus on how international finance cooperation could strengthen the UK’s security and resilience.
In particular, Brown will reportedly advise on how global finance partnerships could back defence and security-related investment—an approach that aligns with the Labour government’s stated push to deepen ties with Europe.
At the same time. Harman—who served as deputy Labour leader from 2007 to 2015 and now sits in the House of Lords—was appointed as Starmer’s adviser on women and girls.. The part-time position will be unpaid. and her remit includes working with ministers on measures aimed at tackling violence against women and girls. as well as improving women’s representation in politics and public life.
The appointments land amid growing unrest inside Labour. where some MPs and backbench figures have pointed to this week’s election results as evidence of leadership failure.. According to the report. Labour lost more than 1. 100 English council seats. including losses in northern England and the Midlands. and it lost power in Wales for the first time since the devolved administration was established.. In Scotland, Labour failed to take power from the SNP.
The political fallout has also included a surge for rival parties at the local level.. The report said Reform UK won more than 1. 400 council seats. while the Green Party recorded the second-largest share of the national vote after Reform.. In response. more than 20 backbench Labour MPs have called on Starmer to resign or have suggested he cannot lead the party and government into the next round of elections next year.
Brown’s placement in Starmer’s orbit follows his public support in recent months.. In February. he told the BBC that Starmer was “a man of integrity” who “wants to do the right things. ” adding that while Starmer may have acted too slowly in the past. changes needed to happen “now. ” and that the public should judge him by what occurs in the coming months as he seeks to “clean up the system.”
Harman’s stance has differed.. She has criticized the Prime Minister’s handling of the Mandelson scandal in recent months. warning that it could “finish him off.” Yet she has also said she believes Starmer should remain prime minister provided changes are made to how the government is run.. Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast on Friday. Harman argued that the country needs a new consensus led by Starmer about what the government will do differently. saying “more of the same is not acceptable.”
With election pressure building inside Labour and new advisers now tasked with priorities ranging from women’s safety to global finance. Starmer is effectively confronting two challenges at once: responding to the party’s setbacks while also laying out how his government intends to recalibrate its agenda ahead of next year’s elections.
Keir Starmer Gordon Brown Harriet Harman Labour Party UK elections women and girls global finance