The Jackdaw: Staffers Had It Hardest

Marie Le Conte | Comment, Policy & Think Tanks, Political Consultants, Politics

From the Archive

jackdaw

Over the last year we’ve seen dozens of MPs switch parties or go independent. But how does such an unexpected move affect their hard-working staff?

Over the last months of 2019, following politics felt rather like watching one giant, green bench-based game of musical chairs. Some MPs lost the whip and learned to embrace the purgatory of independence; others went from one party to another; a handful left their party to create another one, before deciding to move on again. Hundreds of column inches have been dedicated to those MPs: what they believe in, how they thought they could achieve their aims, and whether they left their original parties or their original parties left them. What we forget, however, is that it isn’t just about individual MPs; others are involved too. When a Tory becomes a Lib Dem, the people in his office must follow suit; if a Labour MP decides that she has had enough, her staff will also be expected to leave the nest. And then these long sufferers had to endure the election result itself. Parliamentary assistants are rarely in the spotlight, but that doesn’t mean that their lives are unaffected by these chan...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



The government wants to make it harder for businesses to say no to WFH – what does this mean for young people?

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 17, 2026

The new government protocol raises concerns about whether young people are getting the necessary exposure they need in their early careers 

Money Changes Everything 

William Cash | September 16, 2026

The question of money buying influence in politics is centuries old and not going away

The existential threat AI poses for the free press

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 16, 2026

What happens when the technology that could one day threaten humanity begins to destroy the institution responsible for warning us about it?

Death of the British staycation

Mace Magazine | September 15, 2026

The government's new 5% tourism tax is the last thing the UK's hospitality sector needs, says William Cash

“Two of our lemurs are missing”: a study in fake global news and a cautionary tale for the PA industry

Mace Magazine | September 11, 2026

One of the world’s richest men has been accused of ‘harbouring stolen lemurs’: The Mace reveals a cautionary tale in fake news.

The exodus of the super-wealthy: Who pays the price?  

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 8, 2026

As speculation mounts over further tax rises, Britain’s ultra-rich investors and job creators are choosing to take their wealth elsewhere.

The Economic Paradox: Can Britain Afford to Penalise Parenthood?

Robert Richardson | September 8, 2026

In an exclusive op-ed for Mace, hospitality industry leader Robert Richardson sets out why the sector must do more to become accessible to young families.

The Politics of Power 

Simon Francis | September 7, 2026

End Fuel Poverty Coalition coordinator Simon Francis examines the four stories politicians hear about electricity and gas, and argues that the fight over which story shapes the agenda

A “little local difficulty” – Gawain Towler’s Reform Conference Diary

Mace Magazine | September 5, 2026

Seasoned Farage aide-de-camp Gawain Towler reflects on Reform's first ever Business Day at the NEC - and what it's like when a media grenade goes off during the

Tory reshuffle: Kemi shows her ruthless side

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 2, 2026

With a new team behind her, the latest Tory reshuffle has put the party on early election watch as well as showing her ruthless side.