Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans OBE has lost two key allies in government after the departures of Angela Rayner and Jim McMahon from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Cllr Evans had relied on McMahon to block Plymouth's democratic choice for a mayor in July and needed these ministers to sign off on his plan to take over swathes of the South Hams.
Angela Rayner MP was forced to resign as Deputy Prime Minister last Friday after it was revealed she had underpaid stamp duty. Rayner was also the Housing Secretary and held the Local Government brief.
Jim McMahon MP was sacked as the Local Government and English Devolution Minister on Saturday evening. Rayner and McMahon have been replaced by Steve Reed MP and Alison McGovern MP respectively.
In a full cabinet meeting on Monday, Cllr Evans acknowledged that he had lost two key allies. A forlorn Cllr Evans told his colleagues:
"I wondered if we could send letters to both Angela and Jim. I know there are a number of departures but those two in particular we worked with on various local government projects so perhaps an opportunity to say thank you for their service and their help to Plymouth."
July's mayor referendum was thrown into doubt after the government confirmed that it would block Plymouth’s democratic choice to elect a Mayor, even if residents voted yes in the referendum for the right to choose their own leader.
At the time, McMahon confirmed that the inaugural election of a mayor of Plymouth would be postponed to May 2027 instead of May 2026. McMahon laid out plans for the Labour government to legislate and standardise the 'Leader and Cabinet model' - the current governance structure used by Plymouth and through which Cllr Evans leads. McMahon then laid a Statutory Instrument before Parliament, which came into effect the day before the referendum.
Shortly after the announcement, Plymouth Plus revealed that top council officials had been caught pressuring officials in MHCLG.
In the end, Plymouth voted narrowly to keep the leader and cabinet model, but many were outraged at the government officials interfering in a live referendum.
Angus Forbes, the man behind the campaign for a directly elected mayor, accused local politicians of “lying, cheating and stealing” to maintain their grip on power. Meanwhile local MP Rebecca Smith called the Labour government's handling of the referendum "shambolic from beginning to end".
Following the referendum, Cllr Evans is pushing ahead with plans to absorb swathes of the South Hams - taking over thirteen civil parishes as far as Ermington.
Councils across Devon are developing competing proposals, but ultimately ministers will decide which of these proposals go ahead.
Will the departures of Rayner and McMahon stop Cllr Evans from running to Westminster to get his way? Only time will tell.
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