Starmer says he leads ‘government of service’ in response to cronyism claims

Sir Keir Starmer defended himself against accusations of cronyism, saying “we want the best people in the best posts”.

The Prime Minister has come under pressure over appointments of people with Labour links to civil service roles and the provision of a Downing Street pass to a major donor.

A Whitehall watchdog is looking into appointments made outside the normal competitive recruitment process.

The Prime Minister told the media during a visit to a primary school in Orpington: “I stood on the steps of Downing Street and said we would be a government of service, in the service of everybody, whether they voted for us or not.

“That’s what we’re getting on with.

“We want the best people in the best posts, for sure, but that government of service matters deeply to this government, matters deeply to me, because I came in to government to serve.”

Recent appointments to the senior civil service include Jess Sargeant, who previously worked for the Labour Together think tank before she took a role in the Cabinet Office, and Emily Middleton, a consultant who was named a director general in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and worked closely with Science Secretary Peter Kyle in the months before the election.

Ian Corfield, who has donated more than £20,000 to Labour politicians in the last decade, was initially made a temporary director of investment at the Treasury but it has since emerged he would work as an unpaid adviser rather than a salaried civil servant.

And Labour peer Lord Alli – who has donated more than £500,000 to the party over the past 20 years and provided clothing, “multiple pairs of glasses” and accommodation for Sir Keir – was given a pass to Number 10, despite not having a formal job there.

Downing Street said the Government would co-operate with the Civil Service Commission’s investigation into “appointments by exception” since July.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We will fully support the commission with their review.

“All civil service appointments should follow the correct rules and processes.

“The Civil Service Commission is independent of government and is able to conduct regular reviews of recruitment processes in line with the powers they’ve got.”