Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle Is Officially Underway

Keir Starmer is shaking up his top team

Keir Starmer is shaking up his top team

Keir Starmer has officially begun his long-awaited shadow cabinet reshuffle.

Party sources confirmed the shake-up was underway this morning following the resignation of shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon.

Starmer is expected to make a number of significant changes to his frontbench line-up as he prepares his party for next year’s general election.

Lisa Nandy is also being replaced as shadow levelling up secretary by deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner.

HuffPost UK understands Rayner will also retain responsibility for workers’ rights while officially becoming shadow deputy prime minister.

In what will be seen as a major demotion, Nandy has been appointed shadow cabinet minister for international development.

One Labour source said: “Game, set and match to Angie.”

A source close to Nandy said: “We’re proud of the work Lisa has done, spearheading some of our most exciting policy in housing and devolution.

“Lisa is a team player and looks forward to getting stuck into the new role.”

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper are all expected to stay where they are.

In his resignation letter, McMahon said he had “faced a number of personal challenges in the last year coming back from a serious illness”.

He said: “For the benefit of both my health and my family, the time is right to step back from the workload that comes with being in the shadow cabinet.”

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell is tipped for promotion, as is shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

Jo Stevens could be sacked as Welsh secretary and could be replaced by shadow international trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds.

There could be a promotion for Darren Jones, who is currently chair of the business select committee.

The shake-up also coincides with former senior civil servant Sue Gray – who carried out the first report into the partygate scandal – finally taking her up her role as Starmer’s chief of staff.

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A furious row erupted after it emerged she had accepted the role, and she was banned from starting work until six months after she had left her previous Whitehall job.

She has been tasked with making sure the party is ready for government if it wins the general election, which could be as soon as next spring.

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