UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer attempts government reset less than 100 days into office

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is seeking to reset his government and recover from a shaky first 100 days in office beset by policy misfires, doom mongering and a "freebie" scandal.

Over the weekend, Starmer conducted a shake-up of his office in No.10, after his Chief of Staff Sue Gray was forced to quit amid criticism over her performance and management style, as well as a furor over pay.

Gray, who was hired by Starmer in 2023 to help him prepare for government, was replaced by Morgan McSweeney, who led the Labour party's winning election campaign. Another two figures were added as deputy chiefs of staff.

Meanwhile, Downing Street's media relations team was bolstered with the appointment of James Lyons, recently head of policy communications at TikTok, who will lead a new team in the wake of backlash over gifts and "freebies" received by Starmer and other senior ministers.

Now more than three months on from the election, and with the Labour administration still light on policy details, analysts have begun to question whether the overhaul will be enough for Starmer to show that he has a plan for government.

"They still don't have any discernible policy platform or direction, so the ship is essentially at sea without direction," Phillip Blond, director of independent, non-partisan public policy thinktank ResPublica, told CNBC via email.

"Having better crew members will help but it can't cover up the lack of a destination," he added.

Tony Travers, visiting professor at the London School of Economics, noted that Starmer will have a steep hill to climb to reassert control after allowing infighting to perpetuate under his watch.

"A challenge for the prime minister lies in the fact No. 10 got out of control in the first