Prime Minister Keir Starmer Appoints His First Cabinet

Labour leader Keir Starmer has started appointing his cabinet after leading Labour to a landslide win. (Alamy)

Nadine Batchelor-Hunt

@nadinebh_

Angela Rayner was the first new Cabinet announcement, appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on Friday afternoon. Rayner was the first Labour MP to enter Downing Street and join Starmer's team.

She was followed into Number 10 by Rachel Reeves, who was subsequently confirmed as the UK's first female Chancellor.

David Lammy has been apppointed Foreign Secretary and Yvette Cooper has been appointed Home Secretary. Both previously served for Labour's last election-winning prime minister Tony Blair. 

Pat McFadden, Labour's National Campaign Coordinator and widely seen as one of the masterminds behind Starmer's election campaign, has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He also served as political secretary under Blair. 

Wes Streeting, who narrowly held onto his seat in Ilford North with by 528 votes, has also been appointed Health Secretary. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband confirmed as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Lisa Nandy, who served as shadow international development secretary prior to Labour winning Thursday's election, has been promoted to Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport after Thangam Debbonaire — who was expected to take up the role — lost her seat to the Green Party in Bristol West. 

Emily Thornberry, who was Labour's shadow Attorney General before the election, has been shuffled out with Richard Hermer KC given a peerage by the prime minister and appointed Attorney General. 

And Hermer was not the only person to be given a peerage in order to be able to enter government; former chief medical officer Patrick Vallance, and Timpson's founder James Timpson, were also appointed Minister for Science and Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation respectively. On Saturday, former Blair-era Minister Jacqui Smith was also awarded a peerage, in order to return to the Department for Education.

Earlier on Friday, Starmer entered Downing Street as Prime Minister for the first time after leading Labour to a landslide victory over the Conservatives on Thursday.

In a speech outside No10, Starmer, who is the UK's 58th Prime Minister and just Labour's seventh in the party's history, pledged to work "immediately" to restore public trust in politics and "rebuild" Britain.

He also paid tribute to the "dedication and hard work" of Rishi Sunak, who resigned as Prime Minister earlier on Friday after the Tory party's crushing election defeat.

Appointments So Far

• Angela Rayner - Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• Rachel Reeves - Chancellor of the Exchequer

• David Lammy - Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

• Yvette Cooper - Home Secretary

• John Healey - Secretary of State for Defence

• Pat McFadden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

•  Wes Streeting - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care;

• Shabana Mahmood - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

• Bridget Phillipson - Secretary of State for Education

• Ed Miliband  - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

• Liz Kendall - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

• Louise Haigh - Secretary of State for Transport

• Jonathan Reynolds - Secretary of State for Business and Trade 

• Lisa Nandy MP - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

• Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

• Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

• Jo Stevens MP - Secretary of State for Wales

• Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council, and Leader of the House of Commons

• Baroness Smith of Basildon - Lord Privy Seal, and Leader of the House of Lords

• Alan Campbell - Chief Whip

• Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

• Richard Hermer KC - Attorney General

Ministers

• Patrick Vallance - Minister for Science

• James Timpson - Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation

• Ellie Reeves MP - Minister without Portfolio

• Dan Jarvis - Home Office Minister

• Jim McMahon - DLUHC Minister

• Matthew Pennycook - DLUHC Minister

• Douglas Alexander - Business and Trade Minister

•  Jacqui Smith - Education Minister

• Anneliese Dodds - FCO Minister, and Minister for Women and Equalities in the DfE

• Nick Thomas–Symonds MP as Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Minister for the Constitution and European Relations) 

• Lord Livermore as Financial Secretary to the Treasury;

• Stephen Doughty MP as FCO Minister

• Angela Eagle DBE MP as Home Office minister

• Dame Diana Johnson as Home Office minister

• Lord Coaker as Defence minister

• Maria Eagle MP as Defence minister

• Heidi Alexander MP as Justice minister

• Karin Smyth MP as Health minister

• Stephen Kinnock MP as Health minister

• Catherine McKinnell MP as Education minister

• Sarah Jones MP as Minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade;

• Alison McGovern MP as DWP minister

• Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP as DWP minister

• Chris Bryant MP as a Minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Culture, Media and Sports;

• Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE as a Transport minister

• Daniel Zeichner MP as a Defra minister

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