Newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not hold back at the launch of Skills England -- a new government agency -- in July 2024. The Labour Party's 2024 election manifesto had stated that Skills England would 'bring together business, training providers and unions with national and local government to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver Labour's Industrial Strategy'. Building Skills England into a credible, respected and influential agency will not be straightforward, not least because its two most recent predecessors -- the IfATE and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) -- both failed to survive a single decade before being scrapped. On that basis, it is reasonable and necessary to ask who is likely to answer the phone if and when Skills England calls. This Policy Note investigates how these goals can be achieved, and what obstacles Skills England may face along the way. It is underpinned by 15 interviews with higher education and further education leaders, policy experts and regional stakeholders and begins by considering the opportunities and risks that Skills England may face in terms of its relationships "within" central government. This is followed by an analysis of the opportunities and risks awaiting Skills England in their relationships outside central government.