At the height of the media onslaught against Jeremy Corbyn, Luke Sullivan was one of several Labour right advisers reported to be in attendance at News UK party in September 2018
Keir Starmer has appointed Luke Sullivan to the position of political director in LOTO (the leader of the opposition’s office), after panic in LOTO led to a string of demotions, removals and reshuffles. Sullivan has been a longtime adviser to Labour chief whips. A message sent to staff about the appointment reads:
Colleagues will be pleased to learn that Luke Sullivan has been appointed as Political Director in LOTO with immediate effect. Luke has a wealth of experience as a Special Adviser in the Whip’s Office both in Government and Opposition and I know that many of you already work closely with him through his role in the whips office. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to him.
Labour insiders say that Sullivan is a close friend of Matt Pound, the organiser for right-wing pressure group Labour First, who has also worked for Starmer since he became party leader. Sullivan was also among the advisers reported to be in attendance at Rupert Murdoch’s News UK party in 2018:
It seems a safe bet that this appointment does not signal the emergence of any left policies in Starmer’s office. Indeed, if briefings to a friend of the Labour right in the press today are any indication, Starmer is preparing an escalation of his assault on left-wing party members using the excuse of the expected loss in Thursday’s Batley and Spen by-election – even though Starmer and his lurch to the right are clearly the root of the party’s recent disasters.
An earlier version of this article showed an image of the wrong Luke Sullivan. Sincere apologies for the error.
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