Keir Starmer has 'full confidence' in Anneliese Dodds

Sir Keir Starmer insists he has ‘full confidence’ in shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds amid reshuffle rumours as Labour figures demand shake-up to replace ‘safe pair of hands’ with ‘tough outrider’

• Keir Starmer is under pressure from some in Labour to reshuffle his top team
• Growing fears some shadow cabinet ministers not cutting through with voters
• Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has been tipped by some for demotion

Sir Keir Starmer today insisted he has ‘full confidence’ in shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds amid rumours she could be demoted at a Labour reshuffle. 

Sir Keir is under pressure to shake-up his shadow cabinet amid fears some of his frontbenchers are failing to cut through with voters and score wins against the Government. 

Ms Dodds has been tipped for replacement, as has shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds. 

Sir Keir Starmer, pictured in Milton Keynes today, is under pressure to reshuffle his shadow cabinet

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has been tipped for demotion along with shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds

But the Labour leader has dismissed the speculation and said the shadow cabinet is focused on the local elections in May. 

There have been growing rumblings in recent weeks of a potential shadow cabinet reshuffle, with some in the party displeased with the performance of senior figures.  

One shadow cabinet minister told The Mirror: ‘Keir needs some tough outriders. Nick and Anneliese are very capable, but being a safe pair of hands isn’t enough.’ 

Another member of the shadow cabinet said there had been a ‘collective failure’ in Sir Keir’s top team and added: ‘We’re considered by some to be boring and failing to land any blows.’

Sir Keir today gave his full backing to Ms Dodds, telling reporters during a local election campaign visit in Milton Keynes: ‘Anneliese Dodds has my confidence, she has my full confidence, she is doing a fantastic job.

‘And we are one team, and we have got really important elections in May.’

The Sunday Times reported that Sir Keir was preparing to demote underperforming shadow cabinet ministers after the local elections in May, with Ms Dodds set to be the highest profile casualty.

Sir Keir said ‘all of the team’ was campaigning across the country and is ‘absolutely focused on those May elections’.

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