Jonathan Ashworth is to become the chief executive of the highly influential Starmerite thinktank Labour Together after losing his parliamentary seat, the Guardian has learned. The former shadow cabinet minister, who was a central figure in Labour’s campaign, was narrowly defeated in Leicester South by a pro-Palestinian independent candidate in one of the biggest upsets of election night. Ashworth, who was involved with Labour’s preparations for government as well as its attack operation against the Conservatives, will now helm Labour Together. The high-profile appointment is a sign that the thinktank will play a pivotal role in Keir Starmer’s government. Ashworth’s experience in government includes advising Gordon Brown while he was chancellor and he is highly valued by Starmer. Ashworth said: “Over the last decade, Labour Together has played a vital role in advancing progressive politics and helping Labour to return to power. With Labour now in government, Labour Together will continue to generate the bold ideas needed for Labour to transform Britain for the better and win a second term. I can’t wait to get started.” A spokesperson for the thinktank said Ashworth would bring “unparalleled insight, relationships and political experience”. Ashworth replaces Josh Simons, the former executive director of Labour Together, who last week was elected as the Labour MP for Makerfield in north-west England. As its first post-election project, the thinktank said it would carry out a review of the election results and how they could be used to help Labour win a second term. Labour Together was founded in 2015 to learn lessons from the party’s election defeat under Ed Miliband. In 2017 it was relaunched as a voice for mainstream Labour MPs, with the unstated aim of stopping the party from splitting under Jeremy Corbyn.
Morgan McSweeney, who is now head of political strategy in Downing Street, was its director between 2017 and 2020 and used it as a vehicle to wrest back control of the Labour party from Corbyn and his allies. Since Starmer won the 2020 Labour leadership campaign, the thinktank has produced a series of reports that have shaped Labour policy. Several of its staff were situated in shadow cabinet teams before the election. In 2021 the group was fined £14,000 by the Electoral Commission after failing to properly declare donations worth more than £700,000. Five candidates with links to Labour Together became MPs last week, including Simons. The others were Chris Curtis, a former pollster, in Milton Keynes North; Miatta Fahnbulleh, an economist, in Peckham; Hamish Falconer, a former diplomat, in Lincoln; and Gordon McKee, a former political adviser, in Glasgow South. Ashworth was defeated in Leicester South, which he had represented since 2011, by the independent candidate Shockat Adam. Adam said in his victory speech: “This is for the people of Gaza.” Adam was one of three independent Muslim candidates to win Labour-held seats amid anger at the party’s stance on Israel and Gaza, with Labour also losing Blackburn and Birmingham Perry Barr. Another independent candidate, Iqbal Mohamed, won the new constituency of Dewsbury and Batley. Several other Labour MPs barely held on to their seats amid challenges from pro-Palestinian candidates. Wes Streeting, the new health secretary, was re-elected in Ilford North by a margin of just 528 votes over Leanne Mohamad. Jess Phillips won Birmingham Yardley by 693 votes and Naz Shah held her Bradford seat by barely more than 700 votes.