Keir Starmer’s top aide Morgan McSweeney tried to set up a No. 10 think tank
Former chief of staff said he wanted a space for Downing Street thinking that would be “protected from the level of scrutiny” that comes with government.
Morgan McSweeney, a former top aide to former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, made an attempt to establish a think tank within 10 Downing Street. McSweeney, who resigned in February due to his involvement in Starmer's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the U.S., expressed his belief that No. 10 Downing Street could not be strategic.
He argued that the high level of scrutiny placed on government officials prevented them from thinking creatively and hindered the recruitment of top talent. McSweeney, who previously ran Labour Together, suggested that a separate think tank would allow for more strategic thinking and innovation. He also criticized the reliance on arm's-length bodies in government, arguing that they have weakened the government's ability to respond to crises.
Additionally, McSweeney expressed frustration with the technological limitations faced by government officials, such as the inability to use non-state-approved large language models or popular apps. He claimed to have successfully negotiated the right to copy and paste text on government devices during his time in Downing Street.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
