2.3.3 – The power of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet
When a senior member of the Government resigns, it necessitates a reshuffle of the Cabinet. This is because the Prime Minister will need to fill that position by promoting someone from elsewhere in the Cabinet. The Prime Minister may choose to embark upon a mini reshuffle, only moving a minimal number of people to plug the necessary gaps. However, they may also choose to take the opportunity to radically change the make-up of the Cabinet. Last week, Keir Starmer chose the latter option.
The most significant changes made were:
David Lammy – From Foreign Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary
Yvette Cooper – From Home Secretary to Foreign Secretary
Shabana Mahmood – From Justice Secretary to Home Secretary
In total, 31 changes were made.
Whilst Starmer will have been frustrated to lose Rayner from her position, her departure gave him the scope to do something he probably wanted to do anyway – strategically reposition his Cabinet. It is undeniable that the current Labour Government is struggling to cut through. Current YouGov polling sees them trailing Reform UK by 9 points according to Ipsos Mori, with a growing gap since June.
To tackle the threat of Reform, Starmer wants to take a firmer stance on immigration. Appointing a new Home Secretary allows him to better signal a reset in policy position. The new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, represents the right of the party and may be better able to sell this firmer position. The former Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has moved to be Foreign Secretary. Whilst she is a veteran politician and served in the governments of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, this is her first brief outside domestic affairs.
Three interesting points of note in the reshuffle regard Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer; David Lammy, the new Deputy Prime Minister; and Darren Jones, the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
According to reports, Rachel Reeves was the only Cabinet member told in advance of the reshuffle that her position was safe. This fact, and the fact it was leaked to the media, is an enormous vote of confidence in a Chancellor of the Exchequer who had been seen to be under pressure. The fact that Starmer has tied himself to Reeves’ economic policy is one of the major stories of the reshuffle.
A second interesting point is regarding David Lammy. The former Foreign Secretary was known to be enjoying the job enormously and the decision to make him Justice Secretary is undoubtedly a demotion. There is a chance he may have refused to accept this and instead left government. Therefore, his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister may have been a consolation prize to keep him. Whilst the Deputy PM does deputise for the Prime Minister at events like PMQs, it does not entail the succession rights of, for example, the Vice-President of the United States. Indeed, there are a number of occasions when the position has not even existed
Finally, whilst Lammy may be Deputy PM in name, Darren Jones may be “deputy” to Keir Starmer in practice. Jones has been appointed to the new position of Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, as well as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – a position that is often given to a minister the PM wants to engage in Cabinet without giving them significant departmental responsibilities. As such, they are free to work in policy coordination across departments. Jones is a key ally of the Prime Minister and has long been seen as an up-and-coming star performer. Whilst he does not have the constitutional role of Deputy Prime Minister, politically that may be the role he is playing.
This cabinet reshuffle is undoubtedly the most significant moment of Keir Starmer’s premiership.