Labour Shadow Cabinet reshuffle: who is in Keir Starmer’s frontbench? New jobs for Angela Rayner & Lisa Nandy

Keir Starmer, centre, has reshuffled his Labour Shadow Cabinet with, left to right, Angela Rayner, Lisa Nandy, Steve Reed and Shabana Mahmood. Credit: Getty/Adobe/Mark Hall

Sir Keir Starmer’s has conducted a wide-ranging reshuffle of his Shadow Cabinet, including moving Angela Rayner to Shadow Levelling Up Secretary.

The Labour leader carried out the moves as he prepares for the general election, which is likely to take place next year.

Rayner, in a widely predicted move, has been shifted to focus on a brief that includes local government, housing and the so-called levelling-up agenda.

The Labour deputy leader has formally been appointed Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, having faced Oliver Dowden at the despatch box during Deputy Prime Minister’s Questions when Rishi Sunak is away. She had previously been shadowing the Cabinet Office.

A Labour source said: “Keir is delighted that Angela has accepted this important role; in addition she will continue to be the strategic lead on Labour’s new deal for working people.”

Lisa Nandy, one of Sir Keir’s leadership rivals in 2020, was previously shadowing Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove. The Former Shadow Foreign Secretary was demoted to shadow cabinet minister for international development during the reshuffle.

Steve Reed was moved from Shadow Justice Secretary to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, while Darren Jones was made Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Starmer’s decision to create a new-look team comes as he uses Parliament’s return from the summer recess to further set out his vision for government. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, the Opposition leader promised not to raise income tax if he wins the next general election.

Starmer has backed away from tax rises since pledging to increase income tax for the top 5% of earners during his leadership bid three years ago, instead emphasising his aim to secure the highest economic growth in the G7.

The pre-election shake-up comes on the same day that former top civil servant and partygate investigator Sue Gray starts her new role as the Labour leader’s chief of staff, according to the BBC.

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The anti-sleaze watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, had recommended a six-month delay to her starting the job with Starmer – advice Labour accepted.

Who got new jobs in Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet?

Who kept their jobs in the Shadow Cabinet?