The first major ministerial reshuffle of the Labour government has been finalised following Angela Rayner’s resignation as housing secretary and deputy prime minister on Friday.
Sir Keir Starmer has moved senior MPs in and out of several top jobs as he seeks to boost the party’s popularity and deliver on key pledges.
Alongside other high-profile portfolios like justice, foreign and the Home Office, there has also been a change in leadership at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Liz Kendall has departed the role of work and pensions secretary, instead taking over from Peter Kyle as science, innovation and technology secretary. In her place will be Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East since 2005.
Posting on social media after his appointment was confirmed, Mr McFadden said: “Honoured to be appointed today as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
“Help for those who need it. Getting people into work. Security for pensioners. And increasing skills and opportunity.”
All of the new senior ministers will be meeting with the prime minister on Tuesday to discuss their new remits and the government’s future work.
The DWP boss has reportedly been tasked with bringing down welfare spending and getting more people in to work as he takes on his new role.
A government source indicated it is a new direction for the department, telling The Telegraph: “We are revamping the DWP, taking in skills. It’s all about growth and jobs, jobs, jobs.”
And in another indicator of the renewed focus, a new position centred on ‘skills’ has been added to the DWP portfolio. This ministerial role previously sat in the Department for Education, and will be taken up by Baroness Jacqui Smith.
Following its controversial U-turn over welfare cuts in July, Labour has said it will not target Personal Independence Payments (PIP) again until after a review is completed by social security minister Stephen Timms.
Cuts to any other benefit rates or entitlements also remain unlikely, as the government will probably aim to avoid a repeat of the damaging episode.
Mr McFadden will take over from Ms Kendall in overseeing the DWP’s delivery of its ‘Get Britain Working’ plans, which include overhauling Jobcentres in the UK to create a new jobs and careers service.
In his first week on the job, he is under pressure to relax the rules that people on universal credit face, with a report by the Common’s work and pensions committee published on Monday calls for the four weeks claimants are given to find a new job before facing penalties to be raised to three months.
The cross-party group also called on the DWP to consult on replacing claimant commitments, which apply many of the same requirements to all people such as needing to spend 35 hours a week looking for work, with more personalised ‘action plans.’
Introducing the report, committee chair Debbie Abrahams said: “Providing the right support to get people back into the workplace assists not only individual claimants, but businesses and wider society too.
“While the DWP has made some welcome progress in making a more supportive system for jobseekers, more can be done to really transform the system and encourage people back into work.
“We need to help end the cycle of claiming benefits, being pushed into any job, and losing it when it is unsuitable or insecure… A more personalised, flexible approach will improve employment outcomes, give people more control over their lives and help to restore their dignity.”
Responding to the report, a Government spokesperson said: “As the Committee recognises, we are transforming Jobcentres so our talented work coaches can focus on tailored job support, not monitoring benefits.
“We are already trialling radical new ideas, working with local leaders to tailor services to meet community challenges and are deploying work coaches to deliver intensive support to sick and disabled people.
“This comes alongside our £240 million investment to Get Britain Working and grow the economy by guaranteeing every young person the chance to earn or learn, tackling inactivity and joining up work and health support as we deliver on our Plan for Change.”
