2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle

Not to be confused with 2023 British cabinet reshuffle.

This article is part of
a series about
Keir Starmer
Personal
Legal career
Leadership of the Opposition
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Policies
Elections
Keir Starmer's signature

On 4 September 2023, Keir Starmer, Leader of the UK Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, carried out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet.[1][2][3][4] This was his third major reshuffle and was described as promoting his loyalists to senior roles.[5]

Starmer's deputy Angela Rayner received the shadow levelling up post, replacing Lisa Nandy who was demoted to the shadow minister for international development.[6] The most senior members of the shadow cabinet remained in their positions.[6] Rosena Allin-Khan, who was the shadow minister for mental health before the reshuffle, resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, criticising shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting's advocacy for outsourcing the NHS to the private sector.[7] She also said that Starmer did "not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet".[8][9][10] The reshuffle coincided with the start of the tenure of Sue Gray as Starmer's new chief of staff.[11]

Writers from The Guardian and Politico said that the Blairite wing of the party had prospered in the reshuffle to the detriment of the soft left of the party.[12][13] One shadow minister, said of the reshuffle, "It's all the Blairites" and called it "an entirely factional takeover".[14] Starmer said that he was putting his "strongest possible players on the pitch" ahead of the upcoming general election.[6] Tom Belger writing for LabourList described the reshuffle as a continuing of "Labour's right-ward march".[15]

Background

The last shadow cabinet reshuffle was carried out in November 2021.[16] Since then the Labour Party has performed strongly in opinion polls in the lead up to the 2024 general election.[17] Labour gains in the by-elections in Wakefield and Selby and Ainsty consolidated their electoral performance as did the 2022 local elections.[18] In August 2023, it was speculated in the media that Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner could have her responsibilities changed.[19] It was reported that most "big guns" were considered to be safe.[20] The reshuffle coincided with the appointment of Sue Gray as Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer.[21]

Changes

Sue Gray took a leading role in the reshuffle.[22] It included the promotion of Blairites Hilary Benn and Pat McFadden who served under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.[23] Lisa Nandy lost her role as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to become a shadow foreign office minister, the Shadow Overseas Development Minister, which was described by Sam Coates as "unambiguously a demotion".[24] Labour have stated their intention to reinstate the Department for International Development if they win office. Fellow Greater Manchester MP Angela Rayner became the new shadow levelling up secretary[22] and was also given the new role of Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[25] This consolidated her role in any future Labour government.[26] Gray was involved in negotiations with Rayner over her position.[22]

Hilary Benn returned to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for the first time since he resigned as Shadow Foreign Secretary in 2016 under Jeremy Corbyn.[27] Gray is believed to have been involved in this appointment as well.[28] Jim McMahon resigned as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, citing ill health, and returned to the backbenches.[29]

Rosena Allin-Khan resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, criticising Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting's advocacy for outsourcing the National Health Service (NHS) to the private sector.[30] She also said that Starmer did "not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet".[31][32][33]

Reaction

John Rentoul wrote in The Independent that Starmer delaying the reshuffle was to avoid a revolt from the left wing of the party.[34] The promotion of Andrew Gwynne, a former ally of Jeremy Corbyn from the left of the party, was seen as Starmer extending an olive branch to the party's left wing.[35]

Both Momentum and Compass accused Starmer of promoting a "narrow band of Blairites".[36] Starmer was described as demoting figures from the soft left of the party and promoting in their place his loyalists as well as Blairites.[37][38][39] While there were leading figures on the soft left who remained in the shadow cabinet, such as Ed Miliband, Louise Haigh and Angela Rayner, the faction was thought to have lost most of its influence.[40] Owen Jones criticised the amount of Blairites in the new shadow cabinet.[41] Andrew Fisher who was Director of Policy of the Labour Party, under leader Jeremy Corbyn described Starmer as a "weak leader" surrounded by yes men.[42] A shadow minister described the reshuffle as a factional takeover and described it as "all the Blairites" and a "shoring up of the right of the party".[43] Likewise, editor at LabourList, Tom Belger, wrote of the reshuffle, "More Blairites than Blair" and quoted an MP that stated "even Blair didn't have this many Blairites in his cabinet". Belger also stated that the reshuffle signified that "Labour's right-ward march continues".[44]

Cabinet-level changes

Colour key
  •      Joined the Shadow Cabinet
  •      Left the Shadow Cabinet
  •      Portfolio created/renamed
Minister Position(s) before reshuffle Position(s) after reshuffle
Jim McMahon MP Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Backbench MP – Resigned for health reasons
Lisa Nandy MP Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development
Angela Rayner MP Shadow First Secretary of State
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work 		Shadow Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party[note 1]
Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Strategic Lead for Labour's New Deal[45]
Shabana Mahmood MP Labour Party National Campaign Coordinator Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Steve Reed MP Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord Chancellor 		Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Pat McFadden MP Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Labour Party National Campaign Coordinator
Liz Kendall MP Shadow Minister for Social Care Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Jonathan Ashworth MP Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Shadow Paymaster General
Thangam Debbonaire MP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Peter Kyle MP Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Darren Jones MP Chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Nick Thomas-Symonds MP Shadow President of the Board of Trade
Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade 		Shadow Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office
Hilary Benn MP Backbench MP Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Lucy Powell MP Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Rosena Allin-Khan MP Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health Backbench MP – Resigned over policy differences
Preet Gill MP Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Ellie Reeves MP Shadow Minister for Prisons and Probation Labour Party Deputy National Campaign Coordinator

Junior changes

These roles were left vacant following the cabinet-level changes:

On 5 and 6 September, a number of junior changes were announced:[46][47]

Minister Position(s) before reshuffle Position(s) after reshuffle
Stephen Morgan MP Shadow Schools Minister Shadow Minister for Rail
Catherine McKinnell MP Chair of the Petitions Committee Shadow Schools Minister
Abena Oppong-Asare MP Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Shadow Minister Women's Health and Mental Health
Alex Norris MP Shadow Minister for Levelling Up Shadow Minister for Policing
Sarah Jones MP Shadow Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation (new role)
Dan Jarvis MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Security
Holly Lynch MP Shadow Minister for Security Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons (Legislation)
Seema Malhotra MP Shadow Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets Shadow Minister for Skills
Chris Bryant MP Chair of the Commons Committee on Standards Shadow Minister for Creative Industries and Digital
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP Shadow Minister for Rail Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
Andrew Gwynne MP Shadow Minister for Public Health Shadow Minister for Social Care
Jessica Morden MP Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons Shadow Minister for Wales and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition
Rushanara Ali MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Investment and Small Business
Karin Smyth MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Health
Fleur Anderson MP Shadow Paymaster General Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland
Justin Madders MP Shadow Minister for Employment Rights and Protection Shadow Minister for Business, Employment Rights and Levelling Up
Gareth Thomas MP Shadow Minister for International Trade Shadow Minister for Trade
Afzal Khan MP Shadow Minister for Legal Aid Shadow Minister for Exports
Alan Whitehead MP Shadow Minister for Green New Deal and Energy Shadow Minister for Energy Security
Jeff Smith MP Shadow Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Music Shadow Minister for Clean Power and Consumers
Stephanie Peacock MP Shadow Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure Shadow Minister for Sport, Gambling and Media
Lilian Greenwood MP Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons Shadow Minister for Arts, Heritage and Civil Society
Barbara Keeley MP Shadow Minister for Arts and Civil Society Shadow Minister for Music and Tourism
Toby Perkins MP Shadow Minister for Apprenticeships and Lifelong Learning Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs
Emma Hardy MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience
Anna McMorrin MP Shadow Minister for Victims and Youth Justice Shadow Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean
Feryal Clark MP Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Patient Safety Shadow Minister for Health
Nick Smith MP Backbench MP Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
Florence Eshalomi MP Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office Shadow Minister for Democracy
Paula Barker MP Shadow Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions
Mike Amesbury MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Building Safety and Homelessness
Imran Hussain MP Shadow Minister for Work Shadow Minister for the New Deal for Working People
Maria Eagle MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Procurement
Janet Daby MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Youth Justice
Kevin Brennan MP Backbench MP Shadow Minister for Victims and Sentencing
Ruth Cadbury MP Shadow Minister for International Trade Shadow Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation
Alex Davies-Jones MP Shadow Minister for Tech, Gambling and Digital Economy Shadow Minister for Tech and Digital Economy
Matt Rodda MP Shadow Minister for Pensions Shadow Minister for AI and Intellectual Property
Gerald Jones MP Shadow Minister for Wales Shadow Minister for Scotland
Bill Esterson MP Shadow Minister for Business and Industry Shadow Minister for Roads
Simon Lightwood MP Shadow Minister for Buses and Taxis Shadow Minister for Local Transport
Chris Evans MP Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement Shadow Minister for Social Security
Gill Furniss MP Shadow Minister for Roads Shadow Minister for Pensions
Mark Tami MP Opposition Pairing Whip Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons (Accommodation and Pairing)
Alex Sobel MP Shadow Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment Backbench MP
Nia Griffith MP Shadow Minister for Exports Shadow Minister in the Cabinet Office
Fabian Hamilton MP Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament, Latin America and the Caribbean Backbench MP
Liz Twist MP Shadow Minister for Scotland Backbench MP

These roles were vacant on 6 September:

Notes

  1. ^ Elected office so role cannot be removed

References

  1. ^ "Labour reshuffle: Sir Keir Starmer to shake up shadow cabinet". BBC News. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Politics latest: Rayner gets new role in Labour reshuffle – as Nandy's 'brutal' demotion conversation revealed". Sky News. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Adam Boulton: MPs are heading back to Westminster – but are they all keeping an eye on a looming election?". Sky News. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Labour reshuffle: Who's in and who's out of Sir Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet?". Sky News. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  5. ^ Gibbons, Amy (4 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Who's in and who's out". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Paul Seddon (4 September 2023). "Angela Rayner handed new role as Keir Starmer reshuffles top team". BBC News. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  7. ^ Fisher, Andrew (4 September 2023). "The Labour reshuffle leaves Starmer surrounded by yes-men". i. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  8. ^ Jarvis, Chris (4 September 2023). "'You do not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet': Rosena Allin-Khan resigns from Labour frontbench". Left Foot Forward. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  9. ^ Keane, Daniel (4 September 2023). "Shadow mental health minister resigns with swipe at Keir Starmer". Evening Standard. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  10. ^ Barradale, Greg. "Shadow mental health minister's resignation sends 'worrying message' about Keir Starmer's Labour". The Big Issue. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  11. ^ Ione Wells (4 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Sir Keir Starmer to shake up shadow cabinet". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  12. ^ Pippa Crerar and Peter Walker (4 September 2023). "Angela Rayner named shadow levelling up secretary in Labour reshuffle". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  13. ^ McDonald, Andrew (4 September 2023). "UK Labour reshuffle: The winners and losers in Keir Starmer's shake-up". Politico. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  14. ^ Crerar, Pippa (4 September 2023). "Starmer promotes Blairites as Labour thoughts turn to governing". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  15. ^ Belger, Tom (5 September 2023). "'Labour's shadow cabinet reshuffle: Not everything is as clear as it looks'". LabourList. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Labour reshuffle: Sir Keir Starmer makes surprise shake-up to shadow cabinet". Sky News. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  17. ^ Singh, Arj (22 August 2023). "Labour backed by 50% of voters in new opinion poll, opening up 25 point gap on Tories". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  18. ^ "UK by-election results 2023: Votes, winners and turnout in graphs". The Independent. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Rayner 'working constructively' with Starmer amid Labour reshuffle rumours". The Independent. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  20. ^ Scott, Geraldine (3 September 2023). "Big guns safe as Sir Keir Starmer reshuffles Labour pack". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Keir Starmer To Shake Up His Shadow Cabinet As Labour Gets Ready For Election". HuffPost UK. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Crerar, Pippa; Walker, Peter (4 September 2023). "Angela Rayner named shadow levelling up secretary in Labour reshuffle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  23. ^ Waugh, Paul (4 September 2023). "Starmer's ruthless reshuffle confirms it – the Blairites are back". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Lisa Nandy move confirmed – and it's 'unambiguously a demotion', says Sky's Sam Coates". Sky News. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Angela Rayner handed new role as Keir Starmer reshuffles top team". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Angela Rayner: Labour big-hitter who beat the odds". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Hilary Benn appointed new shadow secretary of state for NI". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  28. ^ Allegretti, Aubrey (9 September 2023). "Sue Gray quickly gets stuck in as Keir Starmer's chief of staff". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  29. ^ Walker, Peter (4 September 2023). "The winners and losers in Keir Starmer's Labour reshuffle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  30. ^ Fisher, Andrew (4 September 2023). "The Labour reshuffle leaves Starmer surrounded by yes-men". i. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  31. ^ Jarvis, Chris (4 September 2023). "'You do not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet': Rosena Allin-Khan resigns from Labour frontbench". Left Foot Forward. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  32. ^ Keane, Daniel (4 September 2023). "Shadow mental health minister resigns with swipe at Keir Starmer". Evening Standard. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  33. ^ Barradale, Greg (4 September 2023). "Shadow mental health minister's resignation sends 'worrying message' about Keir Starmer's Labour". The Big Issue. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Why Starmer is running scared of Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband | John Rentoul". The Independent. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  35. ^ Chaplain, Chloe (6 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Chris Bryant to join Labour front bench, as Starmer also extends olive branch to the left". i. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  36. ^ "Keir Starmer accused of promoting 'narrow band of Blairites'". The Independent. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  37. ^ Brown, Alexander (4 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Sir Keir Starmer's reshuffle purges left with right in complete control as Lisa Nandy suffers demotion". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  38. ^ Cunliffe, Rachel (4 September 2023). "Keir Starmer's reshuffle was politically ruthless". New Statesman. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  39. ^ Chaplain, Chloe (4 September 2023). "Keir Starmer purges soft left and surrounds himself with Blairites for General Election push". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  40. ^ Self, Josh (5 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle underlines the strategic coherence of 'Starmerism'". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  41. ^ Jones, Owen (4 September 2023). "After the reshuffle, Blairites dominate Starmer's shadow cabinet. That's bad news for the rest of us". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  42. ^ Fisher, Andrew (4 September 2023). "The Labour reshuffle leaves Starmer surrounded by yes-men". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  43. ^ Crerar, Pippa (4 September 2023). "Starmer promotes Blairites as Labour thoughts turn to governing". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  44. ^ Belger, Tom (5 September 2023). "'Labour's shadow cabinet reshuffle: Not everything is as clear as it looks'". LabourList. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  45. ^ "Labour Shadow Cabinet reshuffle: who is in Keir Starmer's frontbench? New jobs for Angela Rayner & Lisa Nandy". Yahoo Finance. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  46. ^ Belger, Tom (5 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Starmer unveils six new shadow ministers of state". LabourList. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  47. ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 7 September 2023.