Keir Starmer Carries Out Major Cabinet Reshuffle After Angela Rayner Resignation
3 min read
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is carrying out a major Cabinet reshuffle after the departure of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister.
Rayner quit as deputy PM and housing secretary on Friday after being found to have breached the ministerial code over unpaid stamp duty. She also resigned as deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Starmer is expected to replace Rayner as part of a significant Cabinet reshuffle today. While a minor reshuffle was initially expected in the autumn, it has turned out to be a major restructuring of the Prime Minister's ministerial team.
Senior Cabinet ministers David Lammy, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood have been moved by Starmer in a major shake-up of his top team. Lammy has replaced Rayner as deputy prime minister, and will also be the justice secretary. Cooper has replaced Lammy in the Foreign Office, while Mahmood has replaced Cooper in the Home Office.
Lucy Powell has been sacked as Leader of the Commons, and Ian Murray has been removed from his position as Scotland secretary.
"I spoke to the Prime Minister earlier today and he informed me of his intention to appoint a new Leader of the House of Commons," Powell said in a statement.
"This has not been an easy time for the government. People want to see change and improvements to their difficult lives. Nor in politics more generally, not least with the rise of abuse, misrepresentation, social-media echo chambers and the call for easy answers.
"As women in public life, we experience this all the more. The future of our democracy looks uncertain and Parliament and representational politics has an important role to play."
Murray said in a statement that he was "hugely disappointed" to leave government and that there was a "lot more work to do" after the "dreadful legacy from the previous government".
"I will remain as impatient for change as the public," he said.
"Politics in the UK, and elsewhere, now is at a dangerous crossroads. It is the responsibility of us all in public life to make an argument for progressive change that brings prosperity, hope and our communities together, rather than furthering division and despair."
Earlier this week, Starmer brought in Darren Jones to be his chief secretary as part of a "phase two" Downing Street reset.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) sources told The Times that they are keen to make sure that in any reshuffle they do not lose a ministerial post, as Jones created an extra ministerial role and the number of government ministers is capped.
This has led to murmurings among Labour MPs that MHCLG could be split or reduced, with some expressing concern to PoliticsHome about what this could mean for the housing and devolution agendas.
Additional reporting by Adam Payne
