Labour reshuffle: Starmer unveils 12 more junior shadow ministers

Labour leader Keir Starmer’s reshuffle of his top team has continued, with yesterday’s shadow cabinet shakeup followed by 12 new appointments to more junior posts.

Committee on standards chair Chris Bryant notably returns to the frontbench for the first time since 2016, taking on the role of shadow minister for creative industries and digital.

Former petitions committee chair Catherine McKinnell joins the frontbench, replacing Stephen Morgan as shadow schools minister.

She previously served as a shadow children’s minister between 2011 and 2013, as well as a member of the parliamentary education committee, and held other shadow frontbench roles until 2016.

Morgan had been in post since December 2021, and apologised to the sector then for becoming the fifth shadow schools minister in two years at the time. Morgan will now become a shadow rail minister.

Delighted to be appointed @UKLabour’s new Shadow Minister of State for Rail.

The Conservatives’ broken transport system is failing millions.

I’m looking forward to working with @LouHaigh and team to bring our railways into public ownership and put passengers first.

— Stephen Morgan MP (@StephenMorganMP) September 6, 2023

Tan Dhesi, previously shadow rail minister, replaces Abena Oppong-Asare as shadow exchequer secretary in the shadow Treasury team. Oppong-Asare moves to become shadow minister for women’s health and mental health.

It follows Rosena Allin-Khan’s departure, after Starmer apparently informed her he would downgrade the mental health brief she previously held from a shadow cabinet post. The women’s health role has been added to the new role, however.

Andrew Gwynne moves from shadowing public health to become shadow minister for social care, and Preet Gill, who made way for Lisa Nandy in the international aid brief, will become shadow minister for primary care and public health.

Meanwhile Jessica Morden has been named shadow minister for Wales, and Rushanara Ali becomes shadow minister for investment and small business.

Karin Smyth, previously a junior spokesperson in the health and social care team, becomes a shadow health minister. Fleur Anderson, replaced as shadow paymaster general by Jonathan Ashworth, becomes shadow Northern Ireland minister.

Alex Norris, previously Shadow Minister for Levelling Up, Future of the Union and Elections, as well as a shadow Cabinet Office spokesperson,  now becomes Shadow Minister for Policing.

That role was previously held by Sarah Jones. She has been moved to become Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation, a new post. The frontbench previously only had a Shadow Minister for Climate Change, and a Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, and the implications for their roles are not yet clear.

Dan Jarvis also joins the frontbench, becoming Shadow Minister for Security. He served as a shadow minister between 2011 and 2015,  and mayor of South Yorkshire until 2022.

Seema Malhotra, previously Shadow Minister for Small Business and Labour Markets, becomes Shadow Minister for Skills.

Shadow minister roles rank below top-level secretary of state roles but higher than under-secretary of state or parliamentary private secretary positions.

It follows a wider shakeup at shadow cabinet level on Monday, which included Angela Rayner replacing Lisa Nandy with the levelling-up brief.

Labour is ready for government and ready to deliver for working people. pic.twitter.com/wLMntMAPWv

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 5, 2023