Keir Starmer made his first phone call of last week’s Labour reshuffle at 9.30am on Monday. Three hours later, his new-look shadow cabinet was in place.
By Wednesday evening, he had put the finishing touches to the junior ranks. It was, by any measure, a remarkably pain-free shake-up.
Earlier on Wednesday, at the weekly meeting of Labour’s parliamentary committee, when senior backbenchers are given the chance to quiz the party leadership, chief whip Alan Campbell was asked if the reshuffle was nearly over.
Contrasting Starmer’s methodical approach with his predecessor’s chaotic leadership, Campbell replied: “Jeremy Corbyn’s reshuffle is still going on.”
It is fair to say that those around the Labour leader are quietly pleased with how the first week of the new parliamentary term has gone.
While Rishi Sunak and his hapless education secretary have been embroiled in the RAAC scandal, Starmer has been laying the groundwork for Labour’s general election campaign.
With rumours growing at Westminster that Sunak could go to the country next May, there is little time for either side to lose.
One significant but under-reported feature of the Labour reshuffle was the fact that those in the biggest jobs - like shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting and shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson - stayed where they were.
“It was all about making sure we have the right people in the right jobs,” one senior Labour source told HuffPost UK.
“Keir has complete faith in the job being done by Rachel, Wes and Bridget, as well as [shadow home secretary] Yvette Cooper. They are going to be so important if we win the election, so there was no point in moving them.”
The rise of Blairites like Streeting, Pat McFadden, Liz Kendall, Peter Kyle and Darren Jones has led some to accuse Starmer of being a New Labour tribute act.
“Blair didn’t have that many Blairites in his cabinet,” one MP quipped.
But an insider said: “I wouldn’t call them Blairites, I’d call them pragmatists.
“Look, if we win we’re going to inherit an economic mess, so we’re going to need people in there who aren’t going to be tied down by ideology and will simply be focused on getting stuff done. Because there is going to be an awful lot for us to do.”
Others are sceptical, however. One former Labour frontbencher said: “He’s promoted the Blarites who have no time for him, he’s demoted but ultimately kept people who also have no time for him, and he’s already binned the tiny number of his own people.”
“`Blair didn't have as many Blairites in his cabinet”
One of those demoted was Lisa Nandy, a member of Labour’s “soft left” and Starmer’s one-time leadership rival who has lost the meaty communities and levelling up brief to become shadow international development minister.
A senior shadow cabinet figure told HuffPost UK that the Wigan MP had been suspected of briefing against Starmer and had paid the price.
Others accuse her of being able to identifying solutions to policy problems, but less adept at bringing them to fruition - a charge rejected by her supporters.
A source close to her said: “We’re proud of the work Lisa did spearheading some of our most exciting policy, in housing and devolution.
“She’s a team player and is looking forward to getting stuck into the new role.”
Regardless of the internal machinations, it is undeniable that Labour’s new-look frontbench has been created in Starmer’s own image.
“It’s about having the right people in the right jobs that play to their strengths,” one ally said.
“People want to be part of the team and do a job to get Labour over the line, which is a complete contrast with Sunak, who wasn’t strong enough to do his own reshuffle and who has MPs quitting parliament virtually every day.”
But one veteran backbencher said: “I think there are some really excellent and clever appointments. I think some others will be found out to be promising more than they’ll deliver.
“The changes Keir’s made mean he’s made a lot of enemies, but still doesn’t have very many friends.”