LABOUR general secretary David Evans has announced that he is quitting. 

It comes after four years in which the party’s membership has plummeted, and it became dependent on a few rich donors.

Mr Evans was appointed to lead Labour’s administration by Sir Keir Starmer after trade unionist Jennie Formby resigned in 2020. 

An unremarkable bureaucrat, Mr Evans was promoted by Starmer’s close aide Morgan McSweeney and together they delivered a fall in Labour’s vote from its already poor 2019 level.

He also oversaw a witch-hunt against the left, and against progressive parliamentary candidates in particular, which led to around 250,000 members leaving the party.

Mr Evans will leave after the party conference in Liverpool. 

The vacancy may provide a chance for affiliated trade unionists to press for change.

Sir Keir paid tribute to his sidekick, saying: “It is in no small part down to David’s leadership, vision, and courage that we rebuilt the Labour Party and secured a landslide election victory.”