Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented a reshaped Cabinet on Tuesday, describing it as a team that can "deliver for working people," after a swift and politically costly reshuffle prompted by the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Rayner quit on Friday after a standards report concluded she breached the ministerial code over her tax arrangements, a development that forced the prime minister to reassign several senior portfolios and to seek to steady an administration struggling with low public approval and a summer dominated by anger about immigration.
David Lammy was promoted to deputy prime minister and took on responsibility as justice secretary, while Yvette Cooper was named foreign secretary. Shabana Mahmood was appointed home secretary and said she would do "whatever it takes" to get a grip on small boats crossing the Channel. Darren Jones was given the roles of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chief secretary to the prime minister, acting as a key co-ordinator in No. 10.
Other changes included Steve Reed as housing, communities and local government secretary; Pat McFadden as work and pensions secretary with a remit to seek savings on welfare spending; Peter Kyle as business and trade secretary; Liz Kendall moved to lead the science, innovation and technology department after a parliamentary setback aimed at curbing the benefits bill; Emma Reynolds as environment secretary; Douglas Alexander as Scotland secretary; Jonathan Reynolds as chief whip; and Sir Alan Campbell as leader of the House of Commons. Lord Hermer remained attorney general.
The prime minister's official spokesman said Starmer would tell the "refreshed, reshaped" team to put delivery and growth "front and centre" in the second phase of government. Starmer was expected to say: "This is a government of patriots — determined to deliver for working people. That's who we fight for."
The shake-up comes as opinion polling showed Starmer's personal ratings at a fresh low. The More in Common group reported a net rating of minus 44 for the prime minister, a marker of public dissatisfaction that aides say the reshuffle aims to address.
The changes reflected both immediate damage control and longer-term priorities. Rayner's departure removed a senior figure from Labour's leadership team and opened a contest for the party's deputy leadership. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has declared she will stand for the deputy role, positioning herself as a Downing Street–aligned candidate, while former minister Lucy Powell is seen as a potential challenger and has received public praise from Andy Burnham.
The reshuffle also exposed tensions over fiscal policy and welfare. Labour MPs blocked an initial plan to curb the rising benefits bill, prompting the movement of Liz Kendall to the science portfolio and leaving Pat McFadden with the task of finding savings — a priority viewed as essential to Chancellor Rachel Reeves's efforts to balance the government's books.
Ministers gathered in Downing Street for the first full Cabinet with the new team, including Jonathan Reynolds and Darren Jones, who attended the meeting. Starmer's aides framed the changes as necessary to restore momentum after a first year that officials privately described as uneven and publicly saw criticism over immigration handling and public services.
The standards report that precipitated Rayner's resignation centred on her tax arrangements; she stepped down to avoid further distraction to the government. The prime minister moved quickly to fill the vacuum at the top of his ministerial team while signalling a continued focus on growth, delivery and public confidence.
The new Cabinet faces immediate tests on immigration, welfare costs and delivering on pledges to working households. How effectively the team responds to those pressures and whether the changes ease public concerns about competence and ethics will be closely watched by colleagues, opposition parties and pollsters in the coming weeks.