Prime Minister Keir Starmer has carried out a major cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and housing secretary. David Lammy has been appointed deputy prime minister, while Yvette Cooper moves from the Home Office to become foreign secretary. Shabana Mahmood, previously justice secretary, takes over as home secretary, with Lammy also assuming the justice portfolio.
The reshuffle was triggered by Rayner's departure after the prime minister's ethics adviser found she breached the ministerial code over underpayment of stamp duty on a seaside flat. The scale of changes, with only a handful of ministers retaining their posts, signals concern within Downing Street that the government is faltering and a need for a reset.
Pat McFadden becomes work and pensions secretary, overseeing an enhanced department that absorbs housing, communities, and skills from other departments, with a focus on growth and welfare reform. Liz Kendall moves to science and technology, Peter Kyle to trade, and Steve Reed takes on housing. Emma Reynolds and Douglas Alexander return to cabinet as environment secretary and Scottish secretary respectively.
Wes Streeting and Bridget Phillipson remain in their health and education roles. Lucy Powell was sacked as Commons leader, replaced by Sir Alan Campbell, while Ian Murray left government. Rachel Reeves stays as chancellor, with Downing Street seeking to reassure markets. For the first time, the three great offices of state beyond the prime minister—home, foreign, and chancellor—are held by women.
The reshuffle follows a shake-up of No 10 operations and reflects Labour's struggles in polls, with Reform UK dominating headlines on migration. Mahmood is expected to take a firm grip on immigration policy, including small boat arrivals and asylum seeker accommodation. The changes cement positions of ministers close to Starmer.
