British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is carrying out the first cabinet reshuffle of his premiership in 2025. A minor reshuffle of posts in 10 Downing Street began on 1 September 2025. On 5 September, following the resignation of the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner after she was found to have broken the ministerial code, a full reshuffle of the cabinet was launched.
The reshuffle was speculated to take place in the late spring or early summer of 2025. [1] Ministers like Lisa Nandy and Bridget Phillipson were discussed as possible changes. [2] Number 10 denied that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves would be removed. [3] Louise Haigh told the media that northern female MPs were likely to be demoted. [4] Speculation increased following the 2025 United Kingdom local elections. [5] [6]
A minor reshuffle of posts in 10 Downing Street began on 1 September 2025. [7] [8]
Following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, after being found to have breached the ministerial code, one of the biggest cabinet reshuffles in years started on 5 September. [14] Starmer planned to enact the full reshuffle later in the parliamentary term, but brought this forward in light of Rayner's resignation. [15]
| Colour key |
|---|
|
| Minister | Position before reshuffle | Position after reshuffle | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Angela Rayner | Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (non-ministerial position) | Resigned from the government; see 2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election |
 | David Lammy | Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Justice Lord Chancellor |
 | Yvette Cooper | Secretary of State for the Home Department | Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs |
 | Shabana Mahmood | Secretary of State for Justice Lord Chancellor | Secretary of State for the Home Department |
 | Steve Reed | Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government |
 | Emma Reynolds | Economic Secretary to the Treasury City Minister | Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
 | Darren Jones | Chief Secretary to the Treasury (until 1 September) | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (from 5 September) Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister (from 1 September) Minister for Intergovernmental Relations (from 6 September) |
 | Pat McFadden | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for Intergovernmental Relations (until 6 September) | Secretary of State for Work and Pensions |
 | Liz Kendall | Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology |
 | Peter Kyle | Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology | Secretary of State for Business and Trade President of the Board of Trade |
 | Jonathan Reynolds | Secretary of State for Business and Trade President of the Board of Trade | Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury |
 | Alan Campbell | Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council |
 | Lucy Powell | Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council | Dismissed from the government |
 | Douglas Alexander | Minister of State at the Cabinet Office Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security | Secretary of State for Scotland |
 | Ian Murray | Secretary of State for Scotland | Minister of State at Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology |
 | Ellie Reeves | Minister without Portfolio Chair of the Labour Party | Solicitor General for England and Wales |
 | Anna Turley | Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | Minister without Portfolio Chair of the Labour Party |
 | James Murray | Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury | Chief Secretary to the Treasury |
| Minister | Position before reshuffle | Position after reshuffle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Stockwood | None [a] | Minister of State for Investment | |
 | Poppy Gustafsson, Baroness Gustafsson | Minister of State for Investment | Resigned from the government [16] |
 | Jim McMahon | Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution | Left the government |
 | Daniel Zeichner | Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs | Left the government |
 | Justin Madders | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets | Left the government |
 | Catherine West | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific | Left the government |
 | Maria Eagle | Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry | Left the government |
 | Abena Oppong-Asare | Cabinet Office minister | Left the government |
 | Frederick Ponsonby, 4th Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede | Backbench peer | Left the government |
 | Wajid Khan, Baron Khan of Burnley | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Faith, Communities and Resettlement | Left the government |
 | Catherine McKinnell | Minister of State for School Standards | Left the government |
 | Dan Tomlinson | Backbench MP | Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury |
 | Michael Shanks | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy | Minister of State jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero |
 | Alison McGovern | Minister of State for Employment | Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government |
 | Lucy Rigby | Solicitor General for England and Wales | Economic Secretary to the Treasury |
 | Dan Jarvis | Minister of State for Security | Minister of State for Security |
 | Patrick Vallance, Baron Vallance of Balham | Minister of State for Science | Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero |
 | Angela Eagle | Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum | Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
 | Diana Johnson | Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention | Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions |
 | Sarah Jones | Minister of State for Industry | Minister of State in the Home Office |
 | Chris Bryant | Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms | Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade |
 | Luke Pollard | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces | Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence |
 | Georgia Gould | Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office | Minister of State in the Department for Education |
| | Ellie Reeves | Minister without Portfolio Chair of the Labour Party | Solicitor General for England and Wales |
 | Mike Tapp | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office |
 | Louise Jones | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence |
 | Alison Levitt, Baroness Levitt | Backbench peer | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice |
 | Chris Ward | Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister | Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office |
 | Seema Malhotra | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office |
 | Miatta Fahnbulleh | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Consumers | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government |
 | Samantha Dixon | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government |
 | Zubir Ahmed | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care |
 | Jacqui Smith, Baroness Smith of Malvern | Minister of State for Skills (Department for Education) | Minister of State for Skills (Department for Work and Pensions) |
 | Alex Norris | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth | Minister of State at the Home Office |
 | Chris Elmore | Comptroller of the Household | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Satvir Kaur | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office (on maternity leave) |
 | Josh Simons | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office (covering maternity leave) |
 | Josh MacAlister | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Olivia Bailey | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Blair McDougall | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Kate Dearden | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Kanishka Narayan | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Anna McMorrin | Assistant Government Whip | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales |
 | Matthew Patrick | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
 | Katie White | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State |
 | Janet Daby | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families | Left the government |
 | Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety | Left the government |
 | Gareth Thomas | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Services, Small Business and Exports | Left the government |
 | Feryal Clark | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government | Left the government |
 | Fleur Anderson | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Left the government |
 | Nia Griffith | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales | Left the government |
 | Gerald Jones | Assistant Government Whip | Left the government |
The initial "mini-reshuffle" on 1 September was described as a "reset", [17] with Keir Starmer referring to it as the "second phase" of his government and not a reshuffle. [18]
The resignation of Angela Rayner, was reportedly the most important aspect of the reshuffle. [19] She resigned over a tax scandal involving the purchase of a property. [20] HuffPost wrote that Starmer sought to reassert his authority following the loss of Angela Rayner. [21] Rayner had been expected to be a major candidate for labour leader. [22] Her resignation was the catalyst for the reshuffle. [23] Her concurrent resignation as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party also triggered a deputy leadership election. [24] The last time a deputy leadership election was held alone was 2007. [25]
Professor John Curtice called the loss of Rayner a great loss for the government. [26] The New Statesman noted the right-wing shift of the announced changes. [27] One factor criticised was the treatment of female ministers. [28]
The reshuffle installed two new holders of Great Offices of State: a new home secretary and a new foreign secretary. This resulted in the three Great Offices below the Prime Minister being simultaneously occupied by women for the first time. [29] Ministers who stayed in office included Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband. [30]
Shabana Mahmood moved from Secretary of State for Justice to Home Secretary. [31] She was noted for being the first female Muslim Home Secretary. [32] Lucy Powell was sacked as Leader of the House of Commons. [33] This was significant as she was responsible for delivering the legislative programme through parliament. [34] The Home Office saw big changes with Yvette Cooper, Angela Eagle and Diana Johnson leaving the department. [35]
The removal of Ian Murray as Secretary of State for Scotland was a surprise. [36] He spoke publicly of his disappointment. [37] Lord George Foulkes called it a “disgraceful decision”. [38] He was replaced by Douglas Alexander who previously served in the same job from 2006 to 2007 in the Blair government. [39] The following day Murray returned to government but as a junior minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. [40] [41]
A couple senior female MPs left the government including Nia Griffith, Catherine McKinnell and Maria Eagle. A number of MPs first elected in the 2024 general election were appointed to the frontbench for the first time. [42]
The reshuffle was controversial within Labour ranks. Chi Onwurah said “it is clear that there are higher standards and expectations and more attention on working class Labour ministers, especially women.. but we have set ourselves high standards and we do need to keep to them”. [43] Louise Haigh previously said northern female MPs were targeted for scrutiny. [44] Internal civil war has been reported inside the Labour Party. [45] As Rayner came from the soft left, the ideological split has been important. [46]
The Daily Telegraph said that the government hoped the reshuffle would help counter Reform UK. [47] Nigel Farage was the focus of media attention the reshuffle happened on the same day as the Reform UK conference in Birmingham. [48] Richard Tice said the government was "playing games". [49] Many journalists who planned to travel for the weekend ended up staying in London after Angela Rayners shock resignation. [48] The reshuffle greatly overshadowed the Reform UK conference. [50] Labour had been trailing in the polls and so this was given significance. [51] Another reported issue for the government is on the left wing of politics with the new leader of the Green Party of England and Wales Zack Polanski, who was elected on 2 September, as well as the new Your Party of Jeremy Corbyn. [52]
Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch said "Angela Rayner is finally gone.. but it's only because of Keir Starmer's weakness that she wasn't sacked three days ago". [53] Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said "if Labour believes that having a reshuffle will solve the deep-rooted problems of this government, they are learning the wrong lessons from the calamity Conservatives before them". [54]
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