The cabinet of UK Prime Minister experienced a major reshuffle on Friday after Angela Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister.
Rayner stepped down after an independent inquiry found she fell short of the standards expected of government ministers over a tax error on a recent house purchase.
As part of the overhaul, Yvette Cooper was named , replacing David Lammy, who will become deputy prime minister and justice minister, Starmer’s office said in a statement.
Shabana Mahmood, currently the justice minister, will replace Cooper at the home office — or interior ministry — taking on the role which includes dealing with illegal migration.
The UK government also appointed new ministers in departments such as the environment, business, housing, and work and pensions.
Treasury chief Rachel Reeves will remain in her post, meaning that the three major offices of state below the prime minister will be occupied by women for the first time in history.
What did Rayner do that got her embroiled in a tax scandal?
The raft of changes came after Rayner quit after an independent inquiry concluded that she hadn’t met the ethical standards required of government ministers over her recent purchase of an apartment in Hove, on England’s south coast.
The investigation stated that she should have sought more specific tax advice, even though she acted in good faith.
“I take full responsibility for this error,” Rayner said in a resignation letter to PM Starmer, who had previously stood by her. “I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.”
Starmer expresses ‘sadness’ over Rayner’s departure
In response, Starmer expressed sorrow, but recognized that Rayner had made the right call.
“I have nothing but admiration for you and huge respect for your achievements in politics,” Starmer wrote in a handwritten letter that signed off “with very best wishes and with real sadness.”
Starmer’s major reshuffle comes after a rocky 14 months in office that have seen his popularity plunge.
Rayner’s resignation has piled on more pressure on Starmer, with Labour trailing Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK in the polls.
Farage: Time to ‘make Britain great again’
Farage said on Friday the nation’s two main parties were in meltdown and only Reform UK could “make Britain great again.”
To a standing ovation at the annual party conference, Farage offered a vision of how Britain would be under a Reform government. He pledged to end the arrival of illegal migrants in boats in two weeks, bring back “stop-and-search” policing and scrap net zero policies.
Despite having only four lawmakers in the 650-strong British parliament, Farage is becoming increasingly confident that his party can beat both Labour and the Conservatives.
According to current opinion polls, Reform is on course to take power at an election due in 2029.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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