Overview

• Ninjeri Pandit is leaving the principal private secretary post after about 10 months and will lead delivery work in Downing Street from September, with recruitment for a new PPS under way.
• The BBC reported Keir Starmer had concerns about Pandit’s effectiveness, a claim Downing Street disputed while stressing she remains trusted by the prime minister.
• Multiple outlets report Dan York‑Smith, a senior Treasury official with tax and welfare experience, is expected to become the next principal private secretary.
• The change is the third senior No 10 departure or reassignment in a year, following the exits of chief of staff Sue Gray last autumn and communications director Matthew Doyle in March.
• Reporting casts the move as part of a broader No 10 reset to strengthen economic and delivery capacity ahead of the autumn Budget, with further internal changes and a junior ministerial reshuffle expected.