Keir Starmer has carried out a sweeping reshuffle of his shadow cabinet, bringing Yvette Cooper back to the frontbench as shadow home secretary. The move is seen as accelerating Labour’s shift to the political centre under his leadership. Cooper, who previously served in the last Labour government, will shadow Priti Patel and resume their combative exchanges from her current role as chair of the home affairs select committee.
Other notable appointments include David Lammy as shadow foreign secretary and Lisa Nandy as shadow levelling-up secretary, facing Michael Gove. The reshuffle left almost no senior role untouched and blindsided Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner. Starmer said the smaller shadow cabinet mirrors the government’s structure and focuses on holding the Conservatives to account while demonstrating Labour’s readiness to govern.
Ed Miliband lost his business portfolio but gained a new role as shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero, despite having no department to shadow directly. Promotions from the party’s right, such as Bridget Phillipson to education and Wes Streeting to health, were balanced by demotions of soft-left figures including Miliband, Kate Green returning to the backbenches, and Nick Thomas-Symonds moving to international trade.
Jon Ashworth moved to work and pensions, Emily Thornberry became shadow attorney general, and Jo Stevens shifted to shadow Welsh secretary. Other changes saw Lucy Powell take on culture, Peter Kyle promoted to Northern Ireland, and Louise Haigh moved to transport. Cat Smith quit the shadow Cabinet Office minister role, criticising the lack of representation for ‘red wall’ MPs and Corbyn’s continued suspension.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell criticised the reshuffle as reviving Blairite ministers, while Starmer’s team insisted it was about promoting the best people and laying groundwork for the next general election. Angela Rayner, told of the reshuffle only that morning, said she did not know the details or timing.
