Sir Keir Starmer’s team lacks punch, say Labour MPs

Sir Keir Starmer is coming under pressure to reshuffle his shadow cabinet next week as his party braces for a disappointing set of local election results.

Labour MPs on the front and back benches believe that the leader must carry out a root-and-branch reshuffle of his top team, which they say lacks political punch. The call came as local elections were held in England yesterday, which Labour strategists feared would yield a poor set of results.

Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, and Emily Thornberry, the shadow international trade secretary, have been accused of failing to make an impact.

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, his fiancée, were photographed voting at Methodist Central Hall in London

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“He needs a stronger team . . . to avoid some of the unforced errors,” a frontbencher said. “They’re all pretty