Labour cabinet reshuffle live: Angela Rayner resigns and David Lammy appointed deputy prime minister with more changes to Starmer’s top team expected – UK Times

Sources suggested Friday’s changes had given the Government a renewed sense of purpose, and the Prime Minister will now hope he can move on from a difficult week as he prepares for Labour’s party conference at the end of the month and the Budget in November.

Some Labour MPs have welcomed the changes, particularly praising the appointment of the “ruthless” Ms Mahmood as Home Secretary.

But several suggested to they had been rocked by Ms Rayner’s departure, saying they were “gutted” or “depressed” by the turn of events.

Sir Keir also faces the prospect of a party conference dominated by manoeuvring for the deputy leadership spot left vacant by Ms Rayner.

Few MPs were willing to discuss potential candidates for the contest late on Friday, suggesting it was too soon after the reshuffle.

But the election could prove tricky for the Prime Minister, with some already touting it as a factional battle and a referendum on his leadership.

The centrist Labour First group warned its supporters on Friday that “the left of the party will already be mobilising for this contest, seeking to reclaim influence and steer the party away from the strategy that won us a landslide victory in 2024”.

Among those nearest to Angela Rayner there is genuine anger, even though they admit she made a mistake that cost her badly.

A source close to the now former deputy prime minister, who resigned amid a scandal over her tax affairs, told The Independent: “Keir [Starmer], Morgan [McSweeney] and the whole cabal will regret what they did to her.

“They won a battle today, but this is going to hurt them. They are actually an existential problem for the Labour Party.”

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Darren Jones denied there was instability in the Labour Government and said it was “quite normal” for administrations to have a reshuffle around this time.

Asked whether he understood that reshuffle could be seen by voters as a sign of instability, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told BBC Breakfast: “It’s not instability insofar as the outcomes that we’re delivering are the same.”

He added: “Look, I think it’s quite normal for governments to have a reshuffle about this time coming into government.”

Nigel Farage’s tax affairs are “irrelevant” to voters, according to Reform UK MP Richard Tice.

Mr Tice was asked whether the Reform UK leader would address questions over his partner buying his constituency home in Clacton.

He told Times Radio: “I’m pleased to confirm I’m not his tax adviser. You’ll have to speak to them.

“It’s irrelevant to what voters are concentrating on, which is our messaging, which is the message of hope. We can get out of this nightmare that we’re in.”

Darren Jones has denied the Labour Government has an “ethics problem”, saying that when such issues “inevitably” come up, there is a system to deal with them.

Asked whether the Government had an ethics problem the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told BBC Breakfast: “No, and let me tell you why.

“This Labour Government strengthened the ethics framework for ministers, and this week has shown that that process is working.”

He added: “This is an example of a proper ethics framework, independently led in practice, so that when these issues inevitably do come up, the public can be reassured and have confidence in the system.”

Darren Jones has rejected suggestions Yvette Cooper had been moved out of the Home Office because she was failing to get a grip on immigration.

Asked whether this was the reason she had been moved to the Foreign Office, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told Sky News: “No, not at all.”

He said Ms Cooper had achieved a “huge diplomatic win” in securing the returns deal with France and would be “brilliant” as Foreign Secretary.

David Lammy, 53, has been the Labour MP for Tottenham since 2000 and is one of the party’s longest-serving parliamentarians.

Born to Guyanese parents in north London, Lammy studied law at SOAS and went on to become the first Black Briton to study at Harvard Law School. He went on to be employed as an attorney before pivoting for a career in politics.

He has previously held ministerial positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, which included minister for culture and held various prominent roles in the shadow cabinet.

Upon Labour winning the general election in July 2024, he was appointed Foreign Secretary until this week’s reshuffle. He has now been named the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, one of the most influential roles within the cabinet.

During his 25 years as an MP, Lammy has been particularly recognised for his work on social justice and racial equality, most notably through the 2017 Lammy Review, which examined racial disparities in the UK criminal justice system.

There will not be an early election, Darren Jones has said.

Asked about Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s suggestion that Angela Rayner’s resignation would open up internal Labour splits and prompt a general election as early as 2027, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told Sky News: “Nigel Farage is wrong there.

“The Labour Party is not going to split and there won’t be an early election.”

Sir Keir Starmer had wanted to carry out his reshuffle on a “slightly slower timetable”, but it was “brought forward as a consequence of the former deputy prime minister (Angela Rayner) resigning”, Darren Jones has said.

After it was put to Mr Jones that the Government was in crisis and “ripping it all up and starting again”, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told Sky News: “No – so, I came into work on Monday after the summer recess.

“I was put into this new role as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. I’ve been alongside him this week in Number 10 and the Prime Minister was very clear on Monday that coming back into this new term, this was the start of the second chapter of the Labour Government.”

He added: “The fact is, the Prime Minister had been planning to do a reshuffle on a slightly slower timetable, and started to think about putting the ministers he wanted in the places to really drive on delivering reform in line with the public’s priorities.

“And that was accelerated and brought forward as a consequence of the former deputy prime minister resigning.”

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones said that “people make mistakes” as he was questioned about the number of ministers who have already left the Government within a year in power.

Pressed on Labour’s promise to be different from the last government, he told Sky News: “Humans are humans, people have pasts, they make mistakes.

“These things happen. The important point is the system works, so that when these things do happen, as was the case with Angela Rayner and her stamp duty liability, the process kicks in, it’s an independent view, there’s a very clear view of whether the ministerial code has been breached or not, and if it has, there are obvious consequences.”