Keir Starmer has carried out a wholesale overhaul of his shadow cabinet, bringing Yvette Cooper back to the frontbench as shadow home secretary and promoting David Lammy to shadow foreign secretary. The reshuffle is widely seen as accelerating Labour's shift to the political centre under his leadership.
Lisa Nandy takes on the role of shadow levelling-up secretary, facing Michael Gove, while Ed Miliband loses his business portfolio to become shadow secretary for climate change and net zero. Other key appointments include Bridget Phillipson as shadow education secretary and Wes Streeting as shadow health secretary.
Starmer said the reshuffle creates a smaller, more focused shadow cabinet that mirrors the government's structure. He emphasised the importance of holding the Conservatives to account and demonstrating Labour's readiness to govern. However, critics on the left, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, accused Starmer of reviving the careers of former Blairite ministers.
The reshuffle also saw former leadership contender Emily Thornberry become shadow attorney general, Jo Stevens move to shadow Welsh secretary, and Lucy Powell take over the culture brief. Peter Kyle and Louise Haigh were promoted to shadow Northern Ireland and transport respectively. Cat Smith resigned from the shadow Cabinet Office, warning that the party risked losing touch with 'red wall' voters.
Starmer's deputy, Angela Rayner, was reportedly blindsided by the timing of the overhaul, learning of it only moments before it began. The changes have left almost no senior role untouched and signal a clear direction as Labour prepares for the next general election.
