Sir Keir Starmer moved to shore up his Government last night by replacing Wes Streeting with a loyal lieutenant. James Murray, the former chief secretary to the Treasury, was made Health Secretary in a late night appointment by the Prime Minister.
New Appointments
The Ealing North MP, elected in 2019, previously served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and deputy mayor for housing in London. Lucy Rigby will take over Mr Murray's former role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Rachel Blake will succeed her as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Downing Street announced in a statement.
Streeting's Resignation
It came after Mr Streeting dramatically quit his job after days of torrid speculation, but fell short of triggering a leadership contest. In his resignation letter, he criticised the PM, saying 'where we need vision, we have a vacuum'. The former health secretary said he wanted a 'broad' contest with the 'best possible field of candidates'. He also said he had concluded that the PM would not lead Labour into the next election.
Leadership Speculation
His announcement was followed by Andy Burnham announcing he would run for Parliament in a by-election ahead of an expected leadership bid. Earlier yesterday, Mr Murray had praised new growth figures which he argued had put the UK on the right track. He also said that he hoped Mr Streeting would still be health secretary by the end of the day.
Economic Context
New Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the UK’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6 per cent in the three months to March 2026 compared with the three months to December 2025. Earlier yesterday, Mr Murray told the BBC: 'These figures about economic growth are strong figures, and it shows that we’ve had the strongest growing economy in the G7 in the first quarter of this year.'
