Rachel Reeves becomes Britain’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, and David Lammy is appointed Foreign Secretary.
Britain’s newly elected Keir Starmer has announced key members of his cabinet after his centre-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in the general election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
Starmer on Friday appointed Rachel Reeves as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the first woman to hold the job in British history. A former children’s chess champion and Bank of England economist, she promised to grow the country’s economy while demonstrating strong fiscal discipline.
“Being appointed Secretary of the Treasury is the honor of my life,” Reeves wrote on social media platform X.
“To every young girl and woman reading this, today I want to show you that your ambitions should have no limits.”
Starmer appointed pioneering MP David Lammy as Foreign Secretary.
The son of Guyanese immigrants, Rami grew up in Tottenham, north London, and has been a member of the local parliament since 2000.
Rami became the youngest ever MP when he was first elected at the age of 27. He soon gained ministerial experience working in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Rami on Friday reiterated his support for international efforts to secure an “immediate ceasefire” in Israel’s Gaza war and for the release of the remaining hostages, a move he has made since taking office as foreign minister.
The 51-year-old said he would “relentlessly pursue diplomatic efforts” toward both goals.
“We all know the suffering of the communities we have seen coming out of Israel and Gaza,” Lammy told the Foreign Office.
“But what we must do now is to use our tireless diplomacy to support an immediate ceasefire and rescue the hostages.”
Raynor appointed Starmer’s deputy
Angela Rayner, who was elected deputy leader in 2020 and was chosen by party members independently of the actual leader, will become Starmer’s deputy chancellor and will be responsible for equalisation, housing and communities.
The 44-year-old has often spoken about her difficult circumstances, including growing up in poor public housing and leaving school early as a young mother.
She began her career as a union official before beginning her career as a member of parliament.
Yvette Cooper, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government from 2008 to 2010, has been appointed Home Secretary.
The biggest surprise in the Labour leader’s top echelon is the promotion of Lisa Nandy to culture secretary after former shadow culture secretary Thangam Debonair lost her seat to the Greens.
Otherwise, the cabinet reflects Starmer’s shadow team, including Pat McFadden, who was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Duchy of Lancaster and played a central role in shaping Labour’s election campaign.
John Healey was appointed Defence Minister, Shabana Mahmood was appointed Attorney General, Wes Streeting was appointed Health Minister and Bridget Phillipson was appointed Education Minister.
Ed Miliband, former Labour leader and opposition leader from 2010 to 2015, has been appointed energy secretary. Lucy Powell will become leader of the House of Commons.
