Jimmy McLoughlin, a former special adviser to Theresa May, has said Labour's lack of ministers with direct business experience is a genuine problem, echoing criticism made by Nigel Farage. Speaking on the "In The Room: Lessons From No.10" podcast, McLoughlin argued that while not every minister needs to have run a company, the government does need people who understand how businesses operate, and warned that commercial concerns risk being pushed down Labour's list of priorities.

McLoughlin noted that business secretary Jonathan Reynolds is a solicitor by training, and pointed to figures such as Poppy Gustafsson, former Darktrace co-founder who served as investment minister until September 2025, and James Timpson, ex-Timpson Group chief executive who was prisons minister from July 2024 until stepping down on 20 July, as examples of Labour trying to bring in outside business expertise. He also suggested Labour's lack of fixed views on business could work in its favour compared with the Conservatives, though he argued more entrepreneurs need persuading to enter politics in the first place.