Yesterday Labour leader Keir Starmer gave his cabinet a big shuffle, promoting some of his MPs to the front benches, shoving some previous frontrunners back and rejigging others sideways.
News of the reshuffle was dominated by whether he did or did not let his deputy leader Angela Rayner know if it was happening, but apart from that, there were some interesting moves.
Here’s a profile of some of the people occupying some of the biggest jobs:
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs: David Lammy
Previously the party’s shadow justice secretary, Lammy has also held ministerial roles in the departments of health, culture and education when Labour was actually in government - if you can remember such a time.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Reacting to his appointment, he said:
Honoured to be appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs. At a time when Britain is recasting itself on the world stage, I look forward to setting out Labour’s vision for a values-led foreign policy based on cooperation & internationalism
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) November 29, 2021
Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero: Ed Miliband
Former Labour leader Miliband - whose legacy involves a fierce debate over how to eat a bacon sandwich - has retained his climate change brief but lost his role shadowing business.
Miliband gave the Tories a thorough b******ing during Cop26 and is passionate about the environment so it seems like this is a good fit.
As Labour’s new Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero I will lead Labour’s Green New Deal, transforming our energy system, leading the allocation of our Climate Investment Pledge, and delivering a net zero industrial strategy. /1
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) November 29, 2021
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department: Yvette Cooper
Cooper previously shadowed the Home Office under Ed Miliband so this appointment is a return to a previous gig.
Like Lammy, she also has experience in government and was on Labour’s frontbench as work and pensions secretary from 2008 to 2010.
Looking forward to getting to work as @UKLabour Shadow Home Secretary, working with @Keir_Starmer & building on the work done by @NickTorfaen.
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) November 29, 2021
We want our communities & country to be strong, safe & secure. The Home Office is badly letting people down. Much to do.
Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities & Local Government: Lisa Nandy
Moved out of the foreign office, Nandy will now work on the levelling up brief as Labour are forced to create a mirror for the daft department.
Nandy previously ran for leadership of the party and has long campaigned for localism and the importance of towns as a building block of British society.
Let’s just hope she has more success than us in working out what levelling up actually is.
Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: Wes Streeting
Streeting has replaced Jonathan Ashworth as the shadow health minister - moving from his position as child poverty minister. The MP recently celebrated his being cured of kidney cancer.
Delighted to have been appointed as Shadow Health & Social Care Secretary.
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) November 29, 2021
This year the NHS saved my life and staff across health and social care are getting us through the worst pandemic in living memory.
Labour created the NHS. We’ll make it fit for the future.
And here’s the new shadow cabinet in full:
Deputy Leader, Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work: Angela Rayner
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer: Rachel Reeves
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy: Jonathan Reynolds
Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero: Ed Miliband
Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities & Local Government: Lisa Nandy
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence: John Healey
Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Lucy Powell
Shadow Secretary of State for Education: Bridget Phillipson
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Jim McMahon
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs: David Lammy
Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: Wes Streeting
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department: Yvette Cooper
Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade: Nick Thomas-Symonds
Shadow Minister of State at the Cabinet Office: Jenny Chapman
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice: Steve Reed
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport: Louise Haigh
Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Party Chair and Chair of Labour Policy Review: Anneliese Dodds
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: Jonathan Ashworth
Shadow Attorney General: Emily Thornberry
Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health: Rosena Allin-Khan
Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development: Preet Gill
Shadow Chief Secretary to HM Treasury: Pat McFadden
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales: Jo Stevens
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland: Ian Murray
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland: Peter Kyle
National Campaign Coordinator: Shabana Mahmood
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons: Thangam Debbonaire
Shadow Chief Whip: Alan Campbell
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords: Angela Smith
Opposition Chief Whip in the House: Roy Kennedy
