Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy Prime Minister, deputy Labour Leader and Housing Secretary after a tax row and failing to follow the ministerial code.
Her resignation has sparked a major ministerial reshuffle, with key players like David Lammy, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood moving positions.
Replacing Rayner as deputy PM is David Lammy, former Foreign secretary, who will also act as the Justice Secretary.
Yvette Cooper has also been removed from her position as Home Secretary and will replace Lammy as Foreign Secretary with Shabana Mahmood succeeding her as Home Secretary. Mahmood was previously Justice Minister.
Ian Murray has been sacked as Secretary of State for Scotland and has not been given a new role in the cabinet. He has been replaced by Douglas Alexander, who previously held the role in 2006-7. He has held positions within the cabinet office and Department for Business and Trade under Starmer.
It is not known why Ian Murray has been removed, although the change has caused significant upset within Scottish Labour, with Murray being Scottish Labour’s longest serving MP and a staunch ally of leader Anas Sarwar.
Lucy Powell, who previously served as the Leader of the House of Commons has also lost her ministerial position. Powell’s sacking is believed to have been influenced by comments made by her earlier this year referring to the grooming scandals as “dog whistle” issues.
She will be replaced by Alan Campbell, whom originally was voted in as an MP in 1997, and served in multiple government roles under New Labour.
Steve Reed, former Environment Secretary, will succeed Rayner as housing minister with Emma Reynolds, a new cabinet appointment, being promoted into his old position leading DEFRA.
Party heavyweight and trade secretary, Johnathan Reynolds has been moved into the role of Chief Whip, with Peter Kyle poised to replace him as Business Secretary. Liz Kendall will take up his post of Science and Technology Secretary.
Pat McFadden has also been appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, set to take control of a new “superministry” combining skillsets from both the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department of Education, replacing Liz Kendall after a controversial time in the role, overseeing Labour’s scaled down welfare reforms.
Keeping their positions are Lisa Nandy as Culture Secretary and Rachel Reeves as Chancellor.
No successor for Deputy Leader, a seperate role from Deputy PM, has been announced, but some reports indicate that some Labour MPs are seeking to abolishing the role to avoid an internal leadership battle.
The role could require a vote from Labour party members, with the i paper reporting that some on the left of the party may be planning to run on an “anti-Starmer ticket”, dividing the party further.
A number of junior ministerial positions were changed as part of Starmer’s reshuffle, with Darren Jones, James Murray and Daniel Tomlinson taking up new positions in the Treasury and Prime Minister’s office. Former Blair press officer Tim Allan will also lead Number 10’s communications department.
Featured image via Number 10.
