Insiders baffled by attacks on Richard Hermer, which some believe are a proxy for criticism of government’s direction

If, at the end of last year, you had asked Labour insiders to choose Keir Starmer’s defining decision as prime minister, they might have said means testing winter fuel payments or announcing billions in tax rises on business.

Now, however, many believe Starmer’s most consequential move – and the one that will determine the direction of his government – is making his friend and former colleague Richard Hermer attorney general.