This morning, Tim Allan became the latest member of Starmer’s inner circle to step down. His resignation has increased the pressure on Keir Starmer’s leadership, with Morgan McSweeney having resigned yesterday. Allan served for less than six months in the role, and prior to his appointment he founded the public affairs firm Portland Communications. Speculation of Starmer’s future has had a profound effect on the markets, with the pound falling 0.2 per cent against the Euro, and borrowing costs rising too. Mounting instability has left many predicting a successor who will borrow more and raise government spending. This follows the pound’s decline on Sunday following McSweeney’s departure too. Allan made a brief statement explaining his resignation, saying that he has stepped down to “allow a new No. 10 team to be built” and that he wishes “the PM and his team every success.” Allan is the fifth communications director to depart the Downing Street operation, having succeeded James Lyon and Steph Driver in the role. Allan was a product of the Blair era, having begun his career as a researcher for the soon-to-be Prime Minister whilst he was in the Shadow Cabinet. When Blair was elected Leader of the Opposition in 1994, Allan became his deputy press secretary, and served in Downing Street under Alastair Campbell following the 1997 election. Allan is best known for his work in founding Portland Communications in 2001. In 2012, Allan sold a majority stake in the company. Since then, Portland has risen to become a heavyweight name in the public affairs industry, with a list of clients ranging from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and oil and gas giant BP to Heathrow Airport and Yahoo. Allan has also maintained a minority stake in public affairs firm Strand Partners, whose partners include the British Horseracing Authority and Netflix. He also maintained a minority stake in Thorndon Partners, which works closely with global law firms. He maintained these minority stakes whilst in government, which raised questions over potential conflicts of interest amongst officials. Portland Communications, Strand Partners and Thorndon Partners were approached for comment and asked about Allan’s links with the firms, and whether he engaged with the firms in any capacity whilst serving in government. Replying to Mace Magazine’s inquiry, Thorndon Partners said the following: “When Tim was appointed to government, he resigned as Chairman and Director of Thorndon and stepped back from any duties with the firm. He was not involved in any way in Thorndon’s operations during his time in government and received no financial benefit from the company.” It is unclear to what extent Allan’s resignation will impact the Prime Minister. Anas Sarwar is expected to call on the Prime Minister to resign in a press conference at 14:30 today. He will be yet another senior Labour figure to express his doubts over Starmer’s leadership....