British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, as his chief economic adviser.
Shafik has also held senior academic and civil service roles in Britain and served a brief term as Columbia President.
She later left her role at New York University after scrutiny of her handling of protests and campus divisions over the Israel-Hamas war.
Alongside this, Starmer has also brought finance minister Rachel Reeves’ deputy, Darren Jones, to his Downing Street office.
This suggests that Starmer believes he requires economic advice before presenting a budget later this year, which is expected to include further tax rises.
“I think the creation of a role for Darren Jones is a good move,” said one Labour lawmaker.
“He’s clearly got an eye for the details but understands the politics too.”
Starmer has also replaced his private secretary, who runs his team’s office and appointed a new director of communications.
This comes as Starmer’s team has been criticised by some in his party for failing to sell his government’s sometimes difficult policy decisions as Labour’s poll ratings slump.
