Sir Keir Starmer’s whips office has been plunged into disarray just days before his make or break Budget with his chief enforcer telling MPs he is unhappy in his job and trust towards the operation at an all time low, The i Paper can reveal.
Serious question marks have appeared over the Prime Minister’s ability to push through unpopular legislation as backbench trust in the government whips has plummeted.
The whips play a crucial role in ensuring their party colleagues vote according to the leader’s agenda – and in smoothing over relations with backbench MPs.
But Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds has told some MPs he does not want the role, The i Paper has learned.
The claims have been roundly rebutted by Reynolds himself, who insists he is fully committed to his job, which he said was hugely important to the success of the Government.
The news comes just days before Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers a Budget that will define the future of the Starmer administration.
Multiple sources have told The i Paper that Reynolds has admitted in conversations that he is not happy in the job of Chief Whip, amid growing backbench discontent over family members of senior No10 figures being parachuted into whip jobs.
MPs have said the decision to appoint close family members to key positions in the whips’ office has led to a breakdown of trust.
But particular concern is centred on Reynolds himself even admitting to MPs in opposition parties that he does not want to be Chief Whip, particularly given it is a vital role in forcing through the Government’s agenda.
One Labour MP told The i Paper: “Jonny told Gavin Robinson [the Deputy leader of the DUP] he didn’t want to be chief whip. We all know he hates the job. It’s all very well keeping it in the family, but why is he telling people outside of the party?”
Another senior Labour MP added: “Jonny is openly telling people that he doesn’t want to be Chief Whip. How is that going to lead to an effective operation?”
This was echoed by a separate Labour source who admitted that Reynolds “would much rather not be Chief Whip”.
In response, Reynolds said: “I believe delivering on the Government’s agenda in Parliament is one of the most important jobs in the Cabinet right now, and I am very much enjoying working with the PM and PLP colleagues to do that.”
Government sources also pointed to the close working relationship Reynolds maintains with the Prime Minister, with the pair meeting daily at 08.45am.
“The job is crucial to the success of this government, which is why the PM chose Jonny to do it,” a No10 source said.
The news comes as the Government faces having to steer through difficult pieces of legislation, including future welfare reforms and major changes to asylum and migration policy.
Disgruntlement among MPs is also aimed at the fact that several family members of No 10 staff were made whips in the most recent reshuffle.
This includes Jake Richards and Gregor Poynton, who are the brother and husband of No 10 director of politics Amy Richards, respectively, and Imogen Walker, who is the wife of Starmer’s all-powerful chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
One Labour MP said: “Everyone quite likes Imogen. They just think what they did to the whips office was self-destructive. People who have Imogen as their whip are not telling her anything. It’s not fair on her and it’s not good for the Government. I think it’s pretty dangerous what they did to the whips office.”
Another backbencher added: “Putting Imogen in the whips’ office has gone down appallingly. I’ve had MPs saying to me, ‘Look, I’m less likely to talk to the whips any time around in the last three months.”
The comments were echoed by a third MP, who said: “People don’t trust them and there has been significantly more aggro from them. It’s raised by colleagues frequently.”
Such claims have been strenuously pushed back against by the Government, with one source describing the claims as “insulting” towards people who have “made successful careers in their own right”.
“They are exceptionally talented people who are in their roles in their own right and doing an excellent job,” a Government source said.
Downing Street’s decision to empty the whips office of nearly all its experienced whips has also been criticised, with even opposition parties questioning the move.
“When the reshuffle happened, we were astounded that the PM cleared the whips’ office of any experienced hands, which you clearly need in a whips office because of the procedures and institutional knowledge,” a Tory whip said. “It is widely viewed that the new Chief Whip hates being chief whip. The whips are inexperienced and are not good at the intelligence gathering or listening to colleagues.”
Doubts over the whipping operation appeared again this week when parliamentary business ended before 3pm on Wednesday, despite MPs believing there is a desperate need for the Government to make progress.
Sources said that part of the reason for that was because two pieces of legislation were going through so-called ping pong, where the bills go back and forth between the Commons and the Lords, but another reason was that no Government speakers could be found.
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MPs have also complained of basic errors being made, including one example where a 10 minute rule bill introduced earlier this month by Nigel Farage to withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) nearly passed only for it to be defeated with the help of the Liberal Democrats.
The dysfunction is also being picked up by civil servants. A memo circulating around Labour MPs and leaked to The i Paper reports a conversation with senior Whitehall mandarins about their view of the Government.
The document states: “Parliamentary management is ‘non-existent’ – Labour MPs ‘do whatever they want’. Many in the government whips’ office have little understanding of the legislative process and make little effort to engage with government backbenchers. Three-line whips are ‘unenforceable’, with whips preferring to grant requests for absence rather than see people defy the whip.”
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