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Who’s who in Labour’s cabinet reshuffle?

Sir Keir Starmer has made some significant changes to his top team after defeat at the local elections

Adam Forrest
Monday 10 May 2021 16:20 BST
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told his new shadow cabinet he took full responsibility for the party’s poor performance at the local elections, as he assembled his reshuffled team for the first time on Monday.

Sir Keir has sacked Anneliese Dodds as shadow chancellor and the party’s chief whip Nick Brown as part of an overhaul in the wake of the devastating results.

His deputy leader Angela Rayner, fired as party chair and election campaign co-ordinator, has been kept on a key role as shadow chancellor to the Duchy of Lancaster, becoming Michael Gove’s opposite number.

Sir Keir told his new team that Ms Rayner had “a big new role taking the fight to the Tories,” according to Labour sources. He added: “To be clear, I take responsibility. Nobody else. I lead the Labour party and it is entirely on me.”

So who has been given key positions? And who has been given the chop? The Independent took a closer look at Sir Keir’s first reshuffle since taking over as Labour leader last year.

Rachel Reeves – shadow chancellor

The biggest change was the decision to promote Rachel Reeves to shadow chancellor – often seen as the second most powerful job in the shadow cabinet.

Reeves was viewed as a reliable media performer and dogged determined in her previous role as Cabinet Office minister, holding Michael Gove and other Tory ministers to account over cronyism and sleaze claims.

Rachel Reeves (left) replaces Anneliese Dodds as shadow chancellor

Ms Reeves replaces Anneliese Dodds, who struggled to make an impact in challenging chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has seen his personal approval ratings soar during the pandemic.

In the aftermath of Labour’s Hartlepool by-election defeat, former No 10 strategist Dominic Cummings claimed he didn’t even recognise Ms Dodds: “She never touched my consciousness in a year.”

Sir Keir’s move to oust Ms Dodds came with a soft landing, however, as she was handed the role of party chair, as well as being in charge of Labour’s policy review.

Angela Rayner becomes shadow Cabinet Office minister

Angela Rayner – shadow Cabinet Office minister

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner was said to be locked in talks with Sir Keir’s team for several hours on Sunday, making the case that she should not blamed for the election or be seen to be demoted.

She appears to have got her wish. She remains Labour’s deputy leader, takes over Ms Reeves’ former role as shadow Cabinet Office minister and has also a new “future of work” brief.

One of Ms Rayer’s allies said she had emerged “significantly more powerful” from the messy events of the past 48 hours. Other Labours sources said she had no great desire to remain campaign coordinator.

Ms Rayner said on Twitter said she would continue to “work tirelessly to reform our party” in order to “show that the Labour Party speaks for the working class”.

Labour MP Shabana Mahmood

Shabana Mahmood – campaign co-ordinator

Shabana Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, has been promoted from the backbenches to become campaign coordinator, taking over one of Ms Rayner’s key behind-the-scenes roles.

Another trusted media performer, Ms Mahmood defended Sir Keir’s leadership on Monday, and confirmed the party would launch a policy review to settle on a new programme.

“There has to be a policy review process which we are now going to embark on together as a movement to try and work out what is the programme that we need to be offering the country,” she told the BBC. “It has to be a platform that speaks to the public.”

Wes Streeting gets promotion

Wes Streeting – shadow child poverty secretary

Wes Streeting, previously the shadow minister for schools, has been given a new role as shadow secretary for child poverty.

Streeting had been tipped for one of the most senior positions. But Labour has made clear his changed role was a promotion, as a way of raising the profile of the child poverty issue and inequality in the UK.

Elsewhere, Thangam Debbonaire has been moved up to shadow Commons leader. She replaces Valerie Vaz, ousted from the shadow cabinet in the shake-up. Lucy Powell takes up Ms Debbonaire’s previous shadow housing secretary post.

Lisa Nandy, whose role as shadow to foreign secretary was rumoured to be under threat, has remained in position. Jonathan Ashworth keeps his job as shadow health secretary, despite also being the subject of sacking rumours.

There was no returned for “big beasts” such as Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn, despite speculation Sir Keir wanted the veteran MPs back on the frontbench.

Alan Campbell – Labour chief whip

Nick Brown’s replacement for the key Commons role of chief whip by Alan Campbell has proved one of the most controversial parts of the limited reshuffle.

Mr Brown, who had served as Gordon Brown’s chief whip before taking the shadow equivalent role under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, was respected by all sides in the faction-heavy party.

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted: “Sacking Nick Brown, one of the most experienced and tactically astute chief whips the party has ever had, is inept in the extreme This looks like [Lord] Mandelson’s revenge.”

How will Mr Campbell fare? The Tynemouth MP is an old hand, having spent the past 10 years as a deputy chief whip, the longest continuously-serving person on the Labour frontbench.

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