Politics goes back to the Noughties: Westminster hit with déjà vu as Gordon Brown’s top aide helps Labour, Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson are on manoeuvres, and David Cameron returns to the Tory frontline
Girls Aloud have reunited, Arsenal are top of the Premier League, low-rise jeans are back in fashion – and now Westminster has also caught Noughties fever.
A string of New Labour stalwarts are back on manoeuvres as the party scents a return to power for the first time since 2010.
Sir Keir Starmer this week handed a top job to Lord Livermore, who previously served as a senior aide to Gordon Brown in Downing Street.
Sir Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson, who formed New Labour’s key trio alongside Mr Brown across the 2000s, are also back in favour with their party.
And the Tories haven’t let Labour indulge in Noughties nostalgia all on their own, with David Cameron making a dramatic return to the political frontline.
Here’s a look at the key figures who are creating a sense of déjà vu in Westminster:
Lord Livermore
Lord Livermore served as a top adviser to Gordon Brown between 2001 and 2008. He is now Labour’s shadow exchequer secretary to the Treasury
Spencer Livermore this week returned to political prominence as he took on the role of Labour’s shadow Treasury spokesperson in the House of Lords.
He began his political career by serving as Gordon Brown’s chief strategy adviser while he was Chancellor.
Lord Livermore then followed Mr Brown into Downing Street, when he became prime minister in 2007, as No10’s director of strategy.
He left Government just a year later when he moved to the private sector with Saatchi & Saatchi and, later, Teneo Blue Rubicon.
But Lord Livermore was not away from Westminster politics for long, as he was put in charge of Labour’s campaign at the 2015 general election.
That campaign ended in disaster for the party with the Tories defying opinion polls to secure a House of Commons majority, while Labour – under then-leader Ed Miliband – suffered a near wipe-out in Scotland.
When Lord Livermore was handed his peerage in late 2015 after the election defeat, then Labour deputy leader Tom Watson slammed the move as an example of his party ‘rewarding failure’.
But Lord Livermore is now back in favour among Labour ranks, with Sir Keir Starmer having now promoted him to shadow exchequer secretary to the Treasury.
He had previously been among the Labour whips in the House of Lords.
The reshuffle of Sir Keir’s shadow team also saw Steve McCabe – a Labour whip in Mr Brown’s government – return to the party’s frontbench as shadow veterans minister.
Sir Tony Blair
Sir Tony Blair is believed to be advising Sir Keir Starmer on how to transition to power as he bids to enter No10
As the last Labour leader to win a general election, Sir Tony Blair is believed to be advising Sir Keir on how to transition to power as he bids to enter No10.
A recent report in the i revealed that Sir Tony is also acting as a broker for Sir Keir in the Middle East amid the current Gaza crisis.
The former PM is assisting with diplomatic introductions and contacts in the Middle East, according to the newspaper.
Experts from Sir Tony’s thinkthank, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), could also take on temporary roles within Labour as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, it has been suggested.
A source said said: ‘There’s no official role here, but the TBI does have a number of experts in this area that are helping Labour on its policy in this area.’
The report added that while Sir Tony has not held any direct conversations with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, he has been working to assure the Israeli government that Sir Keir is ‘not Jeremy Corbyn’.
But it has also been claimed that Sir Tony might be seeking a grander role than work as an adviser to Sir Keir.
Reports in Israel have suggested that Mr Netanyahu is hoping to install Sir Tony as a ‘humanitarian co-ordinator’ in Gaza.
After he left Downing Street as PM in 2007, Sir Tony became a Middle East envoy working on behalf of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU. He quit the role in 2015.
Lord Mandelson
Lord Mandelson recently placed himself on the front row of the Labour conference audience, among senior shadow ministers, for shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’ keynote speech
Lord Mandelson is widely regarded as the architect of New Labour and remains close to key figures around Sir Keir.
Indeed it was noted at Labour’s conference in Liverpool last month how omnipresent the former Cabinet minister – a close ally of Sir Tony – appeared to be.
The 70-year-old placed himself on the front row of the conference audience, among senior shadow ministers, for shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’ keynote speech.
He also hosted a lavish cocktail party at a Liverpool restaurant during the conference, put on by his Global Counsel firm, which was reportedly attended by a slew of senior Labour figures including advisers to Sir Keir.
But while Sir Keir and Lord Mandelson might enjoy a close relationship, some within Labour have expressed concern about how voters could react to the peer’s apparent return to the heart of the party.
One senior Labour source told the Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce: ‘Starmer talks to Mandelson all the time, but he doesn’t want the evidence of it all over the TV.
‘He knows how unpopular Mandelson is with many Labour Party members, not to mention voters.’
Lord Cameron
Now known as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, after Rishi Sunak handed him a seat in the House of Lords, the ex-PM is back in Government as Foreign Secretary
Not to be outdone in the recent bout of Noughties nostalgia, the Tories have returned David Cameron – who led the party between 2005 to 2016 – to the political frontline.
Now known as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, after Rishi Sunak handed him a seat in the House of Lords, the 57-year-old is back in Government as Foreign Secretary.
Secret talks between Mr Sunak and Lord Cameron about ending his seven-year spell in the political wilderness were held in Downing Street at the beginning of this month after the ex-PM was smuggled in by a back door.
Over a drink in Mr Sunak’s study, the two men agreed the outline of a sensational comeback deal, which Lord Cameron formally agreed to a few days later.
Yet the former premier’s appointment to lead the Foreign Office has not been without controversy, with questions being asked about his links to China during his time away from Downing Street.
Prior to his return as Foreign Secretary, Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee had raised concerns about Lord Cameron’s appointment as vice-chair of a £1 billion UK-China investment fund.
There has also been scrutiny of the ex-PM’s involvement with the Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka, viewed as a major part of China’s controversial belt and road initiative.
In addition, it was recently reported that HMRC are looking into Lord Cameron’s use of private jets during his lobbying work for collapsed lender Greensill Capital.
Although he won two general election victories for the Tories, in 2010 and 2015, Lord Cameron is not universally popular among the electorate.
A poll by More In Common showed almost half of ‘Red Wall’ voters thought it was a bad move for Mr Sunak to appoint the ex-PM as Foreign Secretary.
And who else could be plotting a return?
David Miliband
David Miliband has recently raised the prospect of a return to Westminster as Labour looks poised to re-enter government at the general election
David Miliband served as a minister throughout the 2000s as part of the New Labour government.
This included a near-three year spell as Foreign Secretary when Gordon Brown was PM.
He now leads the New York-based International Rescue Committee after quitting the House of Commons in 2013, having famously lost out to his brother Ed in a battle for the Labour leadership.
But he has recently raised the prospect of a return to Westminster as Labour looks poised to re-enter government at the general election.
Asked by Politico at a recent event whether he would rule out finding a parliamentary seat to run in over the coming months, Mr Miliband said: ‘Not getting into that at all. You must think I was born yesterday!
‘I always say the same thing – I’ll make my professional choices on the basis of where I can do most for our values and where I can support my family, which is really important.’
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