Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former Deputy Leader Harriet Harman as advisers on May 9, 2026 [1].
The move signals a leadership reset for the Labour Party after significant defeats in recent local elections. By bringing back seasoned party veterans, Starmer aims to stabilize his administration and address voter dissatisfaction.
Starmer named Gordon Brown as his envoy on global finance [1]. Harman was appointed as a senior adviser as part of a broader post-election shake-up [2, 3]. These appointments come as the Prime Minister seeks to correct the party's trajectory following what he described as a period of instability.
“We have made unnecessary mistakes,” Starmer said [4].
The Prime Minister indicated that the party must pivot its strategy to regain public trust. He noted that the current leadership structure required a refresh to better reflect the needs of the electorate, and the challenges of the current economic climate.
“We will respond to the message voters have sent us,” Starmer said [5].
Brown, who served as Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, brings extensive experience in international economics to the role of envoy. Harman's return to a senior advisory position is intended to provide institutional memory and strategic guidance during the party's recovery phase.
The appointments were announced in London on Saturday [6]. The shift in personnel is the first major step in a wider plan to restructure how the government interacts with the public and manages its internal policy goals.
““We have made unnecessary mistakes.””
The return of Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman suggests that Keir Starmer is prioritizing experienced, traditional Labour leadership to mitigate the fallout from the 2026 local election losses. By appointing a former Prime Minister to a global finance role, Starmer is attempting to project economic stability and diplomatic weight at a time when his domestic standing has been weakened by electoral failure.
