Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Shabana Mahmood as the new Home Secretary in a major cabinet reshuffle, replacing Yvette Cooper. The move comes amid growing concerns over the government's handling of illegal migration, grooming gangs, and policing, which have damaged Labour's poll ratings.
Yvette Cooper has been moved to the Foreign Office, while several other Home Office ministers have been reassigned. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson moves to Work and Pensions, Dame Angela Eagle becomes farming minister, and security minister Dan Jarvis relocates to the Cabinet Office while maintaining links with the Home Office.
New appointments include Alex Norris and Sarah Jones as junior ministers, and Mike Tapp, the MP for Dover, who joins the Home Office team. Tapp, a former soldier, has advocated for changes to the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. The reshuffle also sees Anna Turley become party chair, and Ellie Reeves demoted to solicitor general.
The changes come as Reform UK leads Labour by 10 points in the polls, with Nigel Farage capitalising on the small boats crisis and protests outside migrant hotels. Downing Street has not commented on the reasons for the clearout, but concerns over departmental performance are believed to have played a role.
Critics within the Labour Party have expressed disappointment. Former Labour MP Rosie Duffield described the reshuffle as 'shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic,' while MP Ian Lavery warned that the party 'needs a change in direction or face the consequences.' Rachael Maskell, suspended earlier over a welfare rebellion, called for a change in culture to address the nation's challenges.
