LONDON, July 6 – Keir Starmer, who has led the Labour Party to achieve a landslide victory in Britain’s general election on Friday, began appointing his cabinet after becoming the new prime minister
Starmer has made Rachel Reeves Britain’s first female chancellor as he appoints his new cabinet to get on with the job quickly.
One of the easiest appointments for the new prime minister was Ms Reeves as his new chancellor.
She played a major role in the campaign and, as a former Bank of England economist, has helped bring economic credibility back to Labour from the wreckage of the Jeremy Corbyn years.
She is the first female to hold the second most important role in government in 708 years of the office being in existence.
Earlier, Angela Rayner had been handed her own department as secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, taking over from Michael Gove.
Ms Rayner, who will also be deputy prime minister – only the second woman to hold the role after Therese Coffey in Liz Truss’s 49-day government – will mirror the role of John Prescott who was Tony Blair’s deputy and also in charge of the department for local government and development.
David Lammy became foreign secretary, Wes Streeting health secretary, Bridget Phillipson education secretary and Yvette Cooper home secretary.
John Healey is the new defence secretary, and Pat McFadden was rewarded for his success as campaign coordinator by getting Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, running the powerful Cabinet Office, often described as the engine room of government.
Having survived a scare from a pro-Gaza independent in Birmingham Ladywood, key Starmer ally Shabana Mahmood has been made justice secretary.
At just 36, Louise Haigh becomes the youngest cabinet minister of the modern era as transport secretary, again retaining the role she held in the shadow cabinet.
