Top contenders for Keir Starmer’s cabinet including first woman chancellor
There are some strong contenders for the top jobs, although not all the top picks are clear.
Keir Starmer’s first major decision when he arrives in Downing Street will be to appoint a new government.
It’s largely up to him, and there is no rule binding him to appoint his entire shadow cabinet or to keep them on the same briefs.
But many of them are fairly easy predictions. Here are the main frontrunners:
Rachel Reeves – chancellor
Taking charge of economic policy, the chancellor is usually the first cabinet position to be announced.
It will almost certainly be Rachel Reeves, who would become Britain’s first woman chancellor in history.
A former Bank of England economist, she has been laser-focused on making sure all of Labour’s spending plans stay strictly within the country’s means.
Westminster insiders widely agree one of Starmer’s foremost aims has been to restore what he sees as economic credibility after Jeremy Corbyn, who consistently called for huge increases to public borrowing.
Reeves has argued that so-called ‘fiscal discipline’ can fuel business-driven growth, meaning the Treasury takes in more money without taxes going up.
Yvette Cooper – home secretary
Cooper is by far the most experienced member of the shadow cabinet, having held ministerial positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
She is one of only three shadow ministers to have previously served in a cabinet role (work and pensions secretary under Brown).
Cooper has served two stints as shadow home secretary and has also sat as the chair of the home affairs commitee, which gave her the most influence over Home Office policy of any opposition MP.
If appointed, she would oversee the creation of a new border agency aimed at tackling small boat crossings and other forms of people trafficking.
Wes Streeting – health secretary
Westminster insiders also widely expect Wes Streeting, to become health secretary.
He has been shadow secretary for health and social care since 2021 and has been one of Starmer’s most vocal allies.
Streeting would oversee the deployment of £1.3 billion in extra NHS funding pledged by Labour, as well as other reforms aimed mainly at slashing waiting times.
Ed Miliband – energy and net-zero secretary
The former Labour leader looks like another safe bet to have his shadow cabinet role turned into a real government brief.
He remained loyal to Starmer even after the Labour leader scaled down his £28 billion per year green investment plan to £5 billion a year.
He also has experience, having served in the same cabinet job 14 years ago under Brown.
David Lammy
Unlike many shadow cabinet members – and even Starmer himself – shadow foreign secretary David Lammy remains popular across all main factions of the Labour party.
He is therefore an obvious pick for the Labour leader to minimise claims he is excluding left-wingers from government.
Lammy has less experience than other big-hitters, having only served in junior minister roles under Blair and Brown for a few years in total.
There is talk that he will be given a different role than Foreign Secretary, which is one of the ‘big four’ Great Offices of State.
Other contenders
There are a number of other lower-profile shadow ministers tipped for cabinet, including Liz Kendall, Shabana Mahmood, John Healey and Jonathan Reynolds.
But one of the main points of interest is what Starmer will do with Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the party.
She once clashed with the Labour leader after he tried to demote her, but insiders say they are now on better terms.
While she may be put in charge of a department, there is also talk of creating an ‘office of the deputy prime minister’ in which she’ll oversee multiple areas of policy.
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