Starmer’s surprise swoop for Timpson as prisons minister

The biggest surprise in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet appointments over the weekend was James Timpson’s ascension to Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation for which he will receive a life peerage and will sit in the House of Lords.

Well known as a newspaper columnist and chief executive of his family owned retail business, which has a commitment to retraining ex-offenders and giving them jobs in its stores, its annual results revealed it had invested £542,000 in retraining ex-offenders and giving them jobs in its stores last financial year.

He also chaired the Prison Reform Trust and founded an advisory board linking prisons with employers, sharing his extensive experience of working with ex-offenders and running workshops inside prisons.

But so far Timpson’s has not responded to a request for comment as to who will be running the company which comprises the Timpson key cutting and cobbler business, as well as brands such as Max Spielmann, Johnsons The Cleaners, Snappy Snaps, Jeeves of Belgravia and The Watch Lab.

Last year the Manchester-headquartered Timpson “bounced back” to post “record breaking” results according to chairman John Timpson (James’ father) who said the present trading environment was tough and reminded him of the 1970s.

Overall pre-tax profits last year totalled £40.64m for a 53 week accounting period to October 1, 2022, up from £24.53m in the year before. Turnover of £297.4m was up from £212.2m over the comparable previous year.

Timpson outlined his own personal leadership strategy in a book published this year The Happy Index, in which he said his approach to collaboration, profit and success is simple: let the people you hire run your business.

“Really, though, it’s easy. Turn up on time. Trust your team. Do your work,” the blurb said.

Although an outspoken critic of the justice system, saying around a third of prisoners shouldn’t be incarcerated, Timpson hasn’t been notably political. His brother Edward was a Conservative MP for Crewe, though he too was remarkably untribal and retired from politics to return to his legal career.

Starmer’s move echoes that of the last Labour prime minister Gordon Brown who attempted to create a “government of all the talents”, or “GOATs”, which was designed to show a non-ideological way of governing.

However, the appointment of former CBI director-general Digby Jones was widely considered a disaster, as this review of his book explains.

Further ministerial appointments are expected to be made throughout this week.

In the meantime, Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has been appointed Culture Secretary, and Manchester Central’s Lucy Powell as Leader of the Commons.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is to work some of the time in the Manchester office of the Department for Levelling Up and Housing.