Senior aide of Keir Starmer to stand down

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UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s director of communications Matthew Doyle is to step down from his role after just nine months in the post.

The 49-year-old served as a special adviser to former prime minister Tony Blair and led communications for Liz Kendall’s leadership campaign in 2015.

Doyle wrote in a letter to colleagues in Downing Street that “when I started working for Keir four years ago, not many people thought we could win a general election and certainly not in the emphatic way we did”.

He added: “I am incredibly proud of the part I have played in returning our party to government and the change we are already bringing to the country,” he wrote, adding that “now it’s time to pass the baton on”.

He is the latest member of Starmer’s staff to leave after chief of staff Sue Gray departed in October last year following months of negative press about her leadership within Downing Street.

Downing Street confirmed that Doyle’s job would be split. James Lyons — a former journalist who was previously head of communications at tech group TikTok — will become director of communications overseeing strategy, while Steph Driver will take responsibility for communications delivery. Both already hold senior jobs in Starmer’s communications team.

Starmer said: “Matthew brought his considerable experience to my team in the summer of 2021 and has worked tirelessly by my side every day since.”

The prime minister said Doyle, who joined his team at its lowest ebb in 2021, had played a “leading role” in securing Labour’s historic election win last year. “It has been a real privilege to work with him,” he added.

Lyons was brought into Number 10 late last year to work on strategic communications as the then-new Labour government was battling several communications battles, particularly around the acceptance of freebies, many from Labour donor and peer Waheed Alli.

Doyle’s departure was first reported by the Guardian.