Starmer’s surprise attack on Timpson as prisons minister

The biggest surprise of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet appointments this weekend was the appointment of James Timpson as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation, which will give him a life peerage and a seat in the House of Lords.

Best known as a columnist and chief executive of a family retail business that retrains ex-offenders and provides them with work in its stores. Its annual results showed that it invested £542,000 in retraining ex-offenders and providing them with work in its stores in the last tax year.

However, Timpson’s has not yet responded to a request for comment on who will run the business, which includes key cutting and shoemaking businesses as well as brands including Max Spielmann, Johnsons The Cleaners, Snappy Snaps, Jeeves of Belgravia and The Watch Lab.

Manchester-based Timpson has “bounced back” to “record” results in the past year, according to chief executive John Timpson. Timpson said the current trading environment was tough and reminded him of the 1970s.

Total pre-tax profit last year was £40.64m for the 53-week accounting period to 1 October 2022, up from £24.53m the previous year. Turnover of £297.4m was up from £212.2m in the comparable previous year.

Timpson outlined his own leadership strategy in a book this year called The Happy Index, in which he wrote that his approach to collaboration, profit and success is simple: Let the people you employ run your business.

“Really, it’s simple. Show up on time. Trust your team. Do your job,” the description read.

Although he was an outspoken critic of the justice system, arguing that around a third of prisoners should not have been imprisoned, Timpson was not particularly political. His brother Edward was a Conservative MP for Crewe, although he too was notably untribalistic and withdrew from politics to return to his legal career.

Starmer’s move follows the actions of the last Labour prime minister, Gordon Brown, who attempted to create a “government of all talents” (GOATs) aimed at demonstrating a way of governing without ideology.

However, the appointment of former CBI Director General Digby Jones was widely seen as a disaster, as this review of his book explains.

Further ministerial appointments are expected to be announced this week.

Meanwhile, Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan, has been appointed Culture Secretary and Lucy Powell of Manchester Central has become Leader of the House of Commons.

Deputy First Minister Angela Rayner will be based for some time in the Manchester office of the Department for Equal Opportunities and Housing.