Morgan McSweeney , prime minister Keir Starmer’s most trusted adviser, was sent out to bat for his boss this week.

The No.10 chief of staff went to committee room 4A in the House of Lords to face Labour peers, field their questions and explain how he and the PM plan to dig the government out of the deep hole in which it finds itself.

More than 80 of them turned up, including party grandees like former leader Neil Kinnock, George Robertson and Margaret Hodge.

As one peer present pointed out to HuffPost UK, they are not generally the toughest of crowds.

“We listen to what people have to say and politely applaud afterwards,” he said. “It’s not exactly Friday night at the Glasgow Empire.”

Nevertheless, it did not go well for McSweeney or, by extension, Keir Starmer.

One peer said: “

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