New Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced his new cabinet appointments, hours after he addressed members of the public outside 10 Downing Street for the first time in his new role.
He has promised to rebuild trust in politics and restore hope to the nation after a landslide Labour victory in the 2024 General Election.
In his first speech, Sir Keir also said the British people had voted “decisively for change”.
He said the country could “move forward together” as Labour took office following 14 years of Conservative rule.
🤝 The King received in Audience The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 5, 2024
Sir Keir accepted His Majesty's offer and was appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury. pic.twitter.com/g1TwdPObbD
Who is in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet? See their new roles
Angela Rayner - Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Angela Rayner was the first to arrive at No.10 earlier today (July 5).
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the first pick for Sir Keir's new cabinet.
Rayner has also been named Deputy Prime Minister, Downing Street has said.
She has served as Sir Keir's deputy leader since 2020.
New PM Sir Keir Starmer promises to rebuild Britain and restore trust in politics
Rachel Reeves - Chancellor of the Exchequer
Rachel Reeves was next to be appointed as Sir Keir’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, becoming the first woman to take charge of the Treasury.
Reeves has returned as the Leeds West and Pudsey MP following the 2024 general election.
The former Bank of England economist retains the brief she held in the shadow cabinet, as expected.
David Lammy - Foreign Secretary
As Sir Keir’s first Cabinet announcements trickled in, David Lammy was appointed as Foreign Secretary.
There had been some questions over whether he would keep the role he held in the shadow cabinet after he kept a relatively low profile during the election campaign.
He has one of the biggest jobs in government and is now the face of UK policy abroad.
In the past, he has held previous roles including Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.
It is the honour of my life to be appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 5, 2024
The world faces huge challenges, but we will navigate them with the UK's enormous strengths.
We will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home. pic.twitter.com/4DUORlFICj
Yvette Cooper - Home Secretary
Yvette Cooper has been made secretary of state by Sir Keir in his government cabinet.
She was first elected in the 1997 Labour landslide and has since been the first female chief secretary to the Treasury.
Pat McFadden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Pat McFadden is now Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After the July 4 election, he was elected as MP for Wolverhampton South East.
John Healey - Defence Secretary
John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough has been made the country's Defence Secretary by Starmer.
A loyal Labour man, Healey has served as a frontbencher in the Blair-Brown years and was in the shadow cabinet under Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.
John Healey is the MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (Image: UK Parliament/PA)
Healey never joined the military, but supported and voted for the invasion of Iraq.
Shabana Mahmood - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The next batch of Cabinet appointments announced by No 10 saw Shabana Mahmood named Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.
The former barrister, a key ally of the new Prime Minister, held on to her Birmingham Ladywood seat despite a challenge from an pro-Gaza Independent candidate.
Shabana Mahmood is a former barrister (Image: UK Parliament/PA)
Wes Streeting - Health Secretary
Wes Streeting is the new Health Secretary after clinging on to his Ilford North seat by just a few hundred votes.
Bridget Phillipson - Education Secretary
Bridget Phillipson became the first MP elected overnight as her constituency, Houghton and Sunderland South, was the first to declare results.
Sir Keir has appointed Phillipson as Education Secretary.
Ed Miliband - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The MP for Doncaster North led the Labour party from 2010 to 2015. He is now Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
First Days of a New Prime Minister
Liz Kendall - Work and Pensions Secretary
Also being welcomed into sir Keir's chosen cabinet is Liz Kendall, appointed Work and Pensions Secretary.
She is the MP for Leicester West.
Jonathan Reynolds - Business and Trade Secretary and the president of the Board of Trade
Next to be announced is Jonathan Reynolds, who has been given the role of Business and Trade Secretary.
He is also the president of the Board of Trade.
Jonathan Reynolds has been appointed president of the Board of Trade (Image: UK Parliament/PA)
Peter Kyle - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Peter Kyle is now Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.
He is the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, and has been an MP continually since May 7, 2015.
Louise Haigh - Transport Secretary
The new Transport Secretary is Louise Haigh, she is also the MP for Sheffield Heeley and was elected on July 4.
Lisa Nandy - Culture Secretary
In the first surprise of Sir Keir’s cabinet assembly, Lisa Nandy was promoted to Culture Secretary.
It comes after the holder of the brief in his shadow cabinet, Thangam Debbonaire, lost her Bristol Central seat to the Green Party.
Nandy was previously shadow cabinet minister for international development, having been demoted from shadow levelling up secretary in the Labour leader’s last reshuffle in 2023.
She is the MP for for Wigan.
Lisa Nandy MP @lisanandy has been appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport @DCMS. pic.twitter.com/aQdf8CuNQF
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) July 5, 2024
Steve Reed - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary
Sir Keir has named Steve Reed as Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary.
He is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Streatham and Croydon North and has been an MP continually since November 29, 2012.
Hilary Benn - Northern Ireland Secretary
The new Northern Ireland Secretary has been confirmed as Hilary Benn.
He was re-elected in the Leeds South constituency with a 54% share of the vote.
A pleasure to talk to veteran Colin Marsh today in Briggate about his service with the RAF. He flew on Canberras taking photographs for aerial reconnaissance. It was wonderful to see all the services represented today. Thank you for what you do. #BArmedForcesDay2024 pic.twitter.com/VjwDQGFm5g
— Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) June 30, 2024
Ian Murray - Scotland Secretary
Ian Murray has now been appointed the Scotland Secretary - he has been Shadow Secretary for Scotland since 2020.
Previously, Murray was Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment under Ed Miliband.
Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
In the 2024 election, Stevens won her seat in Cardiff East with a majority of 15,833, - she took home a 40.5% share of the vote.
Stevens is now Secretary of State for Wales, as appointed by Sir Keir.
"Stevens was one of the Labour Party's most fervent opponents of Brexit and voted against the party whip to vote in favour of a second referendum in 2019," reports Sky News.
Additionally, Sir Keir has appointed leaders of the upper and lower Houses of Parliament.
Lucy Powell will be Leader of the House of Commons - Powell, MP for Manchester Central, will also be Lord President of the Council.
Baroness Smith of Basildon will be Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal.
Both previously served in the shadow cabinet in the same roles.
Recommended reading:
- 'We will rebuild Britain' - Keir Starmer addresses nation for first time as PM
- 'This is a difficult day' - Rishi Sunak gives final Downing Street statement as PM
How many cabinet ministers are there in the UK?
A cabinet is the main decision-maker within a government.
There are 20 or so cabinet positions, according to the UK government website.
They are a group of ministers which are led and appointed by the Prime Minister – in this case – Sir Keir Starmer.
They are the most senior ministers who are responsible for looking after specific policy areas like healthcare, foreign affairs, transport and more.
You can find more information about the newly announced government cabinet on the UK government website.
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