By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday appointed economist and former Columbia College president Minouche Shafik as his chief financial adviser. It’s a part of a employees shakeup aimed toward strengthening the federal government’s response to a sluggish economic system and a heated political debate over immigration.
Starmer’s center-left Labour Occasion authorities has struggled to spice up financial development and curb inflation, leaving Treasury chief Rachel Reeves dealing with unpalatable decisions about taxes and spending in her funds this fall.
Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Financial institution of England, has held senior educational and civil service roles in Britain, and served a short, tempestuous time period as Columbia president. The British-U.S. nationwide left her job main the New York college in August 2024 after simply over a yr following scrutiny of her dealing with of protests and campus divisions over the Israel-Hamas battle.
Like different U.S. college leaders, Shafik confronted criticism from many corners: Some college students teams blasted her determination to ask police in to arrest protesters. Republicans in Congress and others referred to as on her to do extra to name out antisemitism.
Starmer spokesman Dave Pares stated the prime minister was delighted to have Shafik deliver her “exceptional record when it comes to economic expertise” to the federal government.
Starmer additionally shook up his communications group and appointed Darren Jones, previously a minister within the Treasury, to the brand new submit of chief secretary to the prime minister, tasked with coordinating work on coverage priorities.
The strikes got here as lawmakers returned to Parliament after a summer time break that noticed dozens of small however heated protests outdoors accommodations housing asylum-seekers. The Labour authorities, which was elected in July 2024, has struggled to curb unauthorized migration and fulfill its duty to accommodate these searching for refuge.
The hard-right Reform UK social gathering led by Nigel Farage has sought to capitalize on concern about hundreds of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Portray the asylum-seekers as a risk, Farage has pledged to deport everybody who enters the nation with out authorization ought to Reform win energy in a future election.
Reform has solely a handful of lawmakers within the Home of Commons however commonly leads each Labour and the primary opposition Conservative Occasion in opinion polls.
Starmer’s authorities says it’s fixing an asylum system damaged after 14 years of Conservative authorities and is working with different international locations to deal with the people-smuggling gangs that set up the cross-channel journeys.
