Angela Rayner appointed shadow levelling up secretary in Labour reshuffle
Angela Rayner has been made the levelling up secretary in Sir Keir Starmer's reshuffle, meaning Lisa Nandy is out of the position.
Monday 4 September 2023 16:48, UK
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has been appointed as the shadow levelling up secretary in a reshuffle aimed at putting the "strongest possible players on the pitch" ahead of the next election.
Sir Keir Starmer said reforms to his frontbench on Monday meant he was "now in position to put our top team on the table, to show it to the country".
"I think what is important is to recognise that with this reshuffle, we now have the strongest possible players on the pitch for what is going to be a crucial part of the journey," he told reporters in Westminster.
He said Ms Rayner's job switch had been about putting her in a role that is "crucial to the rebuilding of our country".
The decision to move Ms Rayner, who had previously been shadowing the Cabinet Office, led to Lisa Nandy being demoted from her job opposite Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove and switched to covering the international development brief.
Although she will still attend cabinet, Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates said she is "having her wings clipped" with what is "unambiguously a demotion".
Politics Live: Labour reshuffle under way
A source close to Ms Nandy signalled there would be no dissent over her relegation, stating that she is a "team player" and was looking forward to "getting stuck into her new role".
Sir Keir defended the change, saying the international development post would be "crucially important" to a future Labour government's plans to "reset our position" on the world stage.
Ms Rayner was elected deputy leader by party members in 2020, meaning she will keep that position no matter what.
The change of the party's top team coincides with the return of parliament after the summer recess.
It kicked off with the resignation of shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon, who said he was stepping down after facing "a number of personal challenges in the last year coming back from a serious illness".
Steve Reed, who was the shadow justice secretary, has been moved to fill Mr McMahon's shoes while Shabana Mahmood, previously Labour's National Campaign Coordinator, will take over from Mr Reed.
Ms Mahmood is a key ally to the Labour leader and has been credited with helping transform the party and its campaign machine since the general election disaster in 2019.
A Labour source said: "This promotion is recognition of the integral role Shabana has played in transforming the Labour party as National Campaign Coordinator."
The new National Campaign Coordinator will be Pat McFadden who has also been appointed shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
His previous role as the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury will be taken over by Darren Jones, a rising start who had made a name for himself grilling ministers in his position as chairman of the Business and Trade Select Committee.
Another new entry to the cabinet is Liz Kendall, who unsuccessfully ran for the leadership in 2015 against Jeremy Corbyn and is considered to be on the right of the party.
She was promoted to shadow work and pensions secretary after impressing in her former social care brief, taking over the role from Jonathan Ashworth.
Mr Ashworth has been moved to the Paymaster General brief, which will involve playing a "big role" in the general election campaign, Sky News understands.
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Another shake-up saw Thangham Debbonaire, previously the shadow leader of the House of Commons, swap jobs with Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland shadow secretary Peter Kyle has been handed Labour's science and technology brief, a new position created by Rishi Sunak's shake-up of Whitehall departments earlier this year.
The new shadow Northern Ireland secretary is veteran MP Hilary Benn, who served as shadow foreign secretary under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and was part of the government when Labour was last in power.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow trade secretary, has been appointed shadow minister without portfolio.
Sir Keir did not replace his most senior colleagues, with the likes of shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper safe in their positions.
But the reshuffle has not been entirely without its drama - as one shadow minister stepped down with a warning to Sir Keir about his strategy on mental health.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow minister for mental health, which falls within the wider health department, said it had been "an honour" to serve in the shadow cabinet but it has been "made clear" by the Labour leader that there is not "a space for a mental health portfolio" in his top team.
In a letter to the party leader, she warned the "Tory government has created a mental health crisis" and the "next Labour government" will need to treat mental health services as a "priority".
It follows Rishi Sunak's mini cabinet reshuffle, in which he avoided major changes but gave new appointments to close allies Grant Shapps and Claire Coutinho.
Both leaders are gearing up for annual party conference season in October and getting their top teams in shape for the next general election.