The key facts

  • A move of staff from 10 Downing Street to an open-plan space in the Foreign Office was discussed, but the idea did not progress beyond an early stage
  • Starmer's former communications director James Lyons called the residence a dark, mouse-infested labyrinth and backed Lord Walker, who called the building not fit for purpose
  • Starmer's former communications director James Lyons called the residence a 'dark, mouse-infested labyrinth' and backed Lord Walker, who described the building as 'not fit for purpose'
  • Andy Burnham, after Starmer's departure, created the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office headed by Dame Antonia Romeo; his position on the suitability of Downing Street has not yet been formed
  • After Starmer's reshuffle, Andy Burnham created the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office headed by Dame Antonia Romeo; his position on the suitability of Downing Street has not yet been formed

Several sources confirmed that a move was discussed

Keir Starmer's government discussed moving out of the residence at 10 Downing Street over concerns that the building is unsuitable as a workplace, senior administration figures said, BBC News reports. According to the outlet, ministers and officials from successive governments have privately complained that the confusing layout of Number 10 hinders staff collaboration.

What exactly was proposed and who confirmed it

James Lyons, who served as Starmer's director of communications from October 2024 to September 2025, said at the weekend that a move was discussed during his time in the role. Two other senior figures confirmed that talks had taken place about relocating staff to an open-plan space in another government department. According to one source, space was identified in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building near Downing Street. Both sources stressed, however, that the discussions never went beyond an early stage, and it is unknown whether Starmer himself was consulted. It is noted that the prime minister would not have stopped living on Downing Street had the plan been implemented.

Criticism of the historic building

Lord Wolfson? No — Lord Walker, head of the Iceland supermarket chain and a former adviser to Starmer, told the Financial Times on Friday that Number 10 is no longer fit for purpose. He described it as a Stuart-era building with tiny meeting rooms on different levels, saying there are hazards, and suggested it should be turned into residences or a museum. Lyons, in a LinkedIn post, backed Walker, writing that he was absolutely right, that staff deeply envied other departments, and described the residence as a dark, mouse-infested labyrinth draped with bomb shelters. The building is more than 300 years old: it combines three houses and more than 100 roomsand in 1732 it was handed by King George III to Robert Walpole, who is considered Britain's first prime minister.

Context of the government machinery reform

BBC News notes that Starmer grew increasingly frustrated with Whitehall's ability to deliver change: he was accused of being in conflict with civil servants after saying that too many in Whitehall are comfortably sitting in the warm bath of managed decline. Darren Jones, who served as chief secretary, told MPs last week that he tried three times to abolish the Cabinet Office but failedproposing to replace it with a new department with a single integrated team. After Starmer's departure, Andy Burnham created the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office, combining Number 10, Number 10 North and key parts of the Cabinet Office; it is headed by the country's most senior civil servant, Dame Antonia Romeo. According to Burnham's circle, he has not yet formed a view on the suitability of Downing Street as a workplace.

Why it matters

The debate over a move touches the very organisation of the centre of the British government: according to sources, the problem is not symbolism but the practical inability of staff to collaborate in a building with more than 100 rooms on different levels. The creation of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office under Burnham is already changing the structure of governance, and the decision on the fate of 10 Downing Street will determine where the prime minister's staff will physically work. It remains unknown whether Starmer considered the matter personally and what Burnham's position is — according to BBC News, the discussions did not go beyond an early stage.

Andy Burnham walks along the pavement in Downing Street in front of the exterior wall and the black Number 10 door.Image source, Future Publishing/Getty Images
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Andy Burnham has not formed a view on the suitability of Downing Street as a workplace, it is understood

Downing Street's grand white room is pictured with elaborate furniture, a fire place and a chandelier.Image source, Getty Images
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Downing Street's White Room is one of many in the building

British astronaut Major Tim Peake walks up the stairs with then-Prime Minister David Cameron in 10 Downing Street in London. The staircase winds around a central lobby, with portraits on a yellow wall.Image source, AFP/Getty Images
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Downing Street's famous staircase is lined with portraits of former prime ministers. Pictured are former PM David Cameron and British astronaut Major Tim Peake

A wood-panelled Downing Street room with cream curtains and a ornate light, with Boris Johnson and his chief medical advisers at podiums during a press conference.Image source, Getty Images
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One of Downing Street's ornate rooms was used to stage government press conferences during the early days of the Covid pandemic