Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle has left Independent readers underwhelmed, with just one new face in his cabinet.
Some saw the move as an exercise in optics rather than reform, arguing that the “same faces, different positions” approach as described by our political editor David Maddox risks leaving the prime minister with a weaker, less experienced team.
Angela Rayner’s exit dominated discussion, with readers stressing her value as a working-class voice with strong union ties. Her departure, some suggested, leaves the Sir Keir more vulnerable to rebellion from Labour’s left and strips the cabinet of much-needed authenticity.
David Lammy and Yvette Cooper’s new roles also attracted scrutiny. While some welcomed Cooper’s appointment as foreign secretary, others lamented the loss of Lammy’s international relationships and questioned whether his new justice role was a demotion.
Defenders of Starmer argued that reshuffles are normal – and praised Rayner for resigning quickly without drama.
Yet the overall tone was one of scepticism, with warnings that Labour cannot afford perceived drift as Nigel Farage and Reform gain momentum in the polls.
Here’s what you had to say:
No credible action on immigration
Keir Starmer’s reshuffle and his government’s approach to immigration thus far confirm a deeply troubling reality: this Labour administration is offering no credible action on an issue of profound public concern.
The prime minister was elected on a promise to “stop the boats,” yet we have seen nothing of significance to achieve this. The message this sends is one of utter paralysis. By failing to enact a robust and visible plan to control illegal migration and ensure orderly deportations, Starmer is not just failing to deliver on a key pledge; he is actively handing the political initiative to Nigel Farage and the Reform party on a silver platter.
The government’s current course, vacillating between vague promises and inaction, solves nothing. It ignores the problem, insults the intelligence of the electorate, and only fuels the very populism Starmer claims to oppose.
Thomas
Have your say on Starmer’s reshuffle – do you think it’s a fresh start or just cosmetic change? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Trouble at the top, but time remains
Starmer’s reshuffle and stories about Rayner reveal trouble at the top of the Labour Party, which won’t be solved by a revival of Corbyn’s unacceptable and unelectable far-left alternative or lying ‘no policies’ Farage.
Nobody thought that recovering from 14 years of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak would be easy and Starmer has made mistakes. But there are still more than three years to go for Labour to deal with the issues and offer viable solutions to some of the most intractable problems in living political memory.
hayneman
Best to get the reshuffle over with
Ed Davey being pious about this is all very well, but it’s not as if this was done by choice. If a senior member of the government stuffs up and has to resign there’s no choice but to reshuffle. This one might have been more wide-ranging than expected, but there were rumours that one was due anyway, in which case there’s something to be said for getting it over with.
Ministerial reshuffles are nothing unusual, and neither are ministers forced out for breaking the rules. I’m sorry to see Rayner go, but I think she had to, and unlike ministers in the previous government, she did it promptly and without fuss, leaving the PM to use this as an opportunity to refresh his team and get his reshuffle over with.
Tanaquil2
Missing strongest talent
Might be unpopular here, but Rayner has never been my choice as Deputy PM. Sadly I think the reshuffle misses the strongest talent available. Yvette Cooper has all the attributes for the job. Guessing Sir Keir recognises this too. What is that old saying in politics? Award the foreign secretary role to the person you fear the most competition from, as they are kept out of the country most often than not.
AJH
Not a major reshuffle
A Swappo changeo of just THREE people is not in any way a major reshuffle!
Simply look at the history of the Tories who changed every person in cabinet with more sycophants or old Etonians over the past 15 years – or you could go back past 46 years.
CAMPAIGNS4UKMs1983
Farcical
It seems to me that while Lammy might have been appointed deputy prime minister, he has also been demoted by being ‘reshuffled’ to the position of Justice Secretary. Might that be seen as a sign of low confidence in his foreign affairs abilities?
This is something that I find so farcical about cabinet reshuffles. Firstly, it is usually just the same people being moved from one position to a different position, as if their only qualifications are that they are ‘loyal’ to the prime minister, and therefore ‘deserve’ a cabinet post – often despite them being clearly inadequate in their previous positions.
But secondly, Lammy has spent the past 14 months building up a rapport with other foreign governments and officials – did he not become a ‘Vance-whisperer’? Now Cooper has to start from scratch on the same process, as do these other foreign ministers who now have to get to know her and gauge her abilities and requirements.
DaveAni
Lammy in the wrong role
I like David Lammy, despite myself. I think he is empathetic and decent. But he says such silly things and clings to such silly, outmoded ideas. I think the justice gig is way beyond his capabilities, as it requires a good bit of distance, judgement and the ability to reflect. Maybe Northern Ireland or even Scotland would be a better job for him.
Bruxellois
Labour’s round holes and square pegs
Barring Yvette Cooper’s move, I do not expect this reshuffle to achieve much. I think that with Labour all the holes that exist are round, but all the pegs they have are square. It is a fundamental problem that Labour has. The solution to the problems that this country has requires a right of centre approach, and Labour is too much to the left.
There is potentially a very serious difficulty in the offing for Sir Keir. Were a Labour MP who is sympathetic to Jeremy Corbyn to be elected as deputy leader, the Prime Minister’s hands would be tied. He has already been weakened; a less than cooperative deputy leader of the party would further diminish his authority.
Then there is the budget in November. Taxes are highly likely to go up, spending is already spiralling, and the chancellor has been weakened, both by her own actions and the transfer of Darren Jones away from her. A winter of severe discontent is in the offing. Highly likely that the Chancellor will not survive in office.
It is a paradoxical situation. This PM has a historically immense majority, yet he is very diminished in his authority. His problem is compounded by his total lack of charisma, a proclivity for the u-turn, and a dearth of experience and talent in his cabinet.
Krispad
Purging the left
The “civil war” was started by Morgan McSweeney in an unscrupulous attempt to purge the left from the party. He will be delighted to see Rayner go, and the reshuffle has been described as his work. The deputy election will hopefully prove an opportunity to reassert Labour’s core principles and values.
SteveB21
Labour destroying itself
We have watched the Conservative Party, after decades of dominating British politics, destroy itself in the past few years, now we are watching the Labour Party do the same.
A deeply unpopular prime minister tries to stop the rot by bringing in more and more ministers that are aligned with his unpopular views and policies – and this when the party is only in power because of the ludicrous effects of our First-Past-The-Post electoral system when the two-party system is collapsing.
The level of support for Labour in the 2024 general election should have ensured that we had a coalition, but it gave a huge Labour majority instead. But now even that support is disappearing rapidly.
arboreal1
Starmer is more vulnerable without Rayner
Rayner’s loyalty and support for Starmer was one of the few reasons why the left-leaning backbenchers didn’t rebel against him as much as they would have liked to. He is now considerably more vulnerable on a whole host of issues which require their support.
HomoSapiens
Rayner ticked many boxes
Starmer is going to miss Rayner no end. She ticked many boxes that no one else can: working class, growing up in a council house, getting pregnant at 16, leaving school with no grades and only via the Union she became an MP. She can relate to people that have a “broken CV” from the get go and being put “on the scrap heap”. You have to be feisty and a battle axe to get yourself out of that.
Starmer on the other hand has a working-class background but he went to uni and then worked as a barrister and was head of the CPS – an altogether more professional career and CV. He is MP in London from a well-to-do area. So their backgrounds are a bit like chalk and cheese.
The real question is: who can tick as many boxes and has this level of real-life experience? And there is just tumbleweed. That is why it is nonsense to claim he wanted to get rid of her anyway.
Leftyandproud
Rows will only make things worse
A row between Rayner supporters and Starmer supporters is the last thing the country needs at the moment and it will merely alienate the public even more, to the disadvantage of Labour and the advantage of Reform.
Doubtless Rayner will be brought back into government before too long anyway (Labour will have learned from the Tories in this regard). Personally, I never thought Rayner was a serious rival to Starmer for the leadership (Streeting is a more serious contender) and there is no evidence whatsoever that Starmer was, in Machiavellian fashion, trying to get rid of her.
If the Labour Party rows about this issue, it will make their somewhat dire situation even worse. The public are simply not interested – they want the country’s problems fixed.
Musil
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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