Starmer appointed his Cabinet after a landslide election victory on Thursday which saw his Labour party romp home with 412 seats. In his victory speech on Friday morning, Starmer vowed to restore trust in politics and a build a “government of service”.
Lawmakers for the UK’s Labour Party arrived at 10 Downing Street on Friday as the country’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer named his new Cabinet.
The party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, the first senior politician to be appointed by Starmer.
Rayner, who has served as Starmer’s deputy party leader since 2020, will also take the role of the Secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
She has often spoken about her tough background growing up in a deprived public housing block and leaving school early as a young mother. She started her career as a trade union official before embarking on a career as a lawmaker.
Rachel Reeves has been appointed Treasury Secretary, becoming the first woman to hold the job. She gets the title Chancellor of the Exchequer, which dates to the 16th century.
The former Bank of England economist faces the daunting task of delivering Labour’s promise to get the economy growing and invest in public services while working with a large national debt.
David Lammy has been named Foreign Secretary, while Yvette Cooper is the Home Secretary, looking after key issues including immigration and policing.
John Healey was named the Defence Secretary.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the most senior minister in the Cabinet after the prime minister.
Starmer’s Cabinet includes the highest number of female ministers in history and more than 40% of the seats in the Commons will be held by women.
Starmer appointed his Cabinet after a landslide election victory on Thursday which saw his Labour party romp home with 412 seats. 326 are needed for a majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.
In his victory speech on Friday morning, he vowed to restore trust in politics and a build a ‘government of service’.
The Labour Manifesto, a document outlining the party’s policy priorities, lists five goals for the political group. This includes kickstarting economic growth; advancing clean energy; reducing violent crime; reforming education; and improving and investing in the ailing National Health Service.
The proposals include lowering the voting age to 16, nationalising passenger railways, repairing an additional million potholes in England, constructing new prisons, building 1.5 million new homes, advocating for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and cancelling the Rwanda deportation scheme.
