Spads under Starmer: How can Labour’s special advisers do the job well?
15 July 2025, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Location: Online / Institute for Government, 2 Carlton Gardens, London SW1Y 5AA
Think tank: Institute for Government
This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Government will discuss how special advisers can be most effective in government.
Special advisers are a vital part of the glue that helps make government work effectively, and since July 2024 more than 100 spads have been appointed by Keir Starmer and his ministers. As well as experiencing the day-to-day challenges that come with one of the most intense jobs in Westminster, the new cohort has also faced ministerial churn, parliamentary rebellion and a change of No.10 chiefs of staff.
So how can special advisers be most effective in government? What are the challenges they face, and how can they deal with them? And how is the current cohort of spads faring in their difficult, and misunderstood, roles?
To discuss how the spads of today (and tomorrow) can do the job well we are joined by:
Gabriel Pogrund – Whitehall Editor at the Sunday Times and co-author of Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer
Salma Shah – Special Adviser to Sajid Javid (2014–19)
Sam White – Special Adviser to Alistair Darling (2004–10) and Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer (2021–22)
The event will be chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
