As Tim Allan quits No 10, will Keir Starmer be the last man standing?

Tim Allan is not a name on the tip of everyone’s tongues, but his departure from Downing Street after just five months as director of communications is yet another sign of a premiership in freefall.

In just 19 months of government, Sir Keir Starmer is now looking for his fifth director of communications – assuming he lasts long enough to appoint one.

The regular change of such a crucial role explains why, as prime minister, Sir Keir has consistently struggled to find his voice and communicate a coherent message in government.

But with Mr Allan only coming into post in September last year, this resignation shows real signs of a prime minister in trouble.

Already, it had been noted that Sir Keir could not attract anyone from outside his Downing Street operation to come in with fresh thinking to be the new chief of staff, forcing him to promote both of Mr McSweeney’s deputies as an interim measure. Even people already working in other parts of the government made it clear they do not want any part of the toxic atmosphere in Downing Street.

Mr Allan was brought in by the now former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who himself quit dramatically on Sunday.

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The feeling is that Mr Allan was not there out of love for Sir Keir but because Mr McSweeney had pleaded with him to join a struggling team – which perhaps explains why, less than 24 hours after McSweeney quitting, he decided that enough was enough.

A source told The Independent: “Tim Allan’s heart was never in it – just his black book [of contacts].”

The appointment was made because Mr McSweeney was obsessed with recreating the Blair era for Labour. Mr Allan had been part of the successful communications team serving Sir Tony Blair back in the glory days of the early 2000s.

It was the same logic which got Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson, the architect of New Labour, as ambassador to the US. Clearly, that decision has triggered the potential collapse of this government. But the decision to appoint Mr Allan was damaging in a different way.

In his brief period as top dog for Downing Street’s communications, Mr Allan triggered an unnecessary war with the lobby journalists in parliament: cancelling afternoon briefing sessions, restricting the number of morning ones and trying to replace journalists’ questions with those from social media influencers.

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His arrival also pushed out the previous joint director of communications – Steph Driver – who many regard as the only competent aide Sir Keir had in Downing Street.

The poisoning of relations – even with friendly news brands – was the last thing a prime minister struggling in the polls and losing the confidence of his own Labour MPs needed.

There was speculation that Mr Allan had been promised a peerage to come back, which now seems unlikely to be a gift he will receive.

But he simply did not need the money or the stress. Moments after the announcement, he changed his WhatsApp profile picture to one that said “out of office, gone golfing”.

Meanwhile, in his wake, he leaves behind a PM with no clear leadership in Downing Street, no communications director and dwindling support.