- Angela Rayner Appointed Levelling Up Secretary in Reshuffle
- Lisa Nandy Demoted to Minister for International Development
- Other Key Appointments and Resignation in Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle
Angela Rayner has replaced Lisa Nandy as the Levelling Up Secretary as a result of Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle.
Mr. Starmer’s reshuffle named Angela Rayner shadow secretary of state for scaling up.
Lisa Nandy, a former Wigan MP, is now international development minister.
Sam Coates stated she is “having her wings clipped” in her new position, which entails less responsibility, even though she will continue to attend cabinet meetings.
“There is no longer a cabinet post for international development, as Boris Johnson abolished the department for international development, so she will likely be a minister at the minister of state level,” he said.
She will serve as a kind of phantom number two at the foreign office. This is without question a demotion.”
According to a source close to Lisa Nandy, she is “proud of the work” she has accomplished about scaling up, which includes housing and devolution.
They said, “Lisa is a team player who is eager to get started in her new role.”
“Keir is delighted that Angela has accepted this important role, and she will continue to be the strategic leader of Labour’s new deal for working people,” said a Labour source.
Regardless of the decision, Ms Rayner will remain deputy leader after party members elected her in 2020.
Before this, she shadowed the Cabinet Office, a relatively low-profile position that centered on government procedure.
The replacement of the party’s leadership coincides with the return of the legislature following the summer recess.
It began with the resignation of the shadow environment secretary, Jim McMahon, who cited “several personal challenges in the last year while recovering from a serious illness” as the reason for his departure.
Steve Reed, formerly the shadow justice secretary, will replace Mr. McMahon, while Shabana Mahmood, formerly Labour’s national campaign coordinator, will replace Mr. Reed.
Since the disastrous 2019 general election, Ms. Mahmood has helped reform the Labour party and campaign machine by supporting the leader.
A Labour source stated, “This promotion is in recognition of Shabana’s integral role in the transformation of the Labour Party as National Campaign Coordinator.”
Pat McFadden, Duchy of Lancaster shadow chancellor, will be National Campaign Coordinator.
Darren Jones, chair of the parliamentary business committee and widely regarded as an effective communicator, will assume his former position as the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury.
Liz Kendall, who ran unsuccessfully for the leadership in 2015, has replaced Jonathan Ashworth as shadow secretary for work and pensions.
As Paymaster General, Mr. Ashworth will play a “significant role” in the general election campaign.
Thangham Debbonaire, who was formerly the shadow leader of the House of Commons, exchanged positions with Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary.
After Rishi Sunak’s Whitehall department restructure this year, Northern Ireland shadow secretary Peter Kyle got the science and technology brief.
Hilary Benn, a veteran politician who previously served as shadow foreign secretary under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, is the new shadow Northern Ireland secretary.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, formerly the shadow trade secretary, is now the shadow minister without portfolio.
Sir Keir is unlikely to replace shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper.
However, the reshuffle was not entirely drama-free, as one shadow minister resigned and warned Sir Keir about his mental health strategy.
Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow minister for mental health, said it had been “an honor” to serve in the shadow cabinet, but the Labour leader has “made it clear” that there is no “space for a mental health portfolio” in his top team.
She warned in a letter to the party leader that the “Conservative government has created a mental health crisis” and that the “next Labour government” must make mental health services a “priority.”
It follows Rishi Sunak’s mini Cabinet reshuffle, in which he avoided significant changes but gave Grant Shapps and Claire Coutinho new positions.
It comes as both leaders prepare for the annual party conference season in October and prepare their respective top teams for the upcoming general election.
