Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer

Starmer Shadow Cabinet

Shadow Cabinet of the United Kingdom
20202024
Starmer with members of his shadow cabinet at a session of Prime Minister's Questions in 2022
Date formed4 April 2020
Date dissolved5 July 2024
People and organisations
MonarchElizabeth II
Charles III
Leader of the OppositionKeir Starmer
Shadow Deputy PMAngela Rayner
Member party
  •   Labour Party
Status in legislatureOfficial Opposition
206 / 650 (32%)
History
Legislature terms2019 UK Parliament
Incoming formation2020 leadership election
Outgoing formation2024 general election
PredecessorShadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn
SuccessorShadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak

Keir Starmer assumed the position of Leader of the Opposition after being elected as leader of the Labour Party on 4 April 2020; the election was triggered by Jeremy Corbyn's resignation following the Labour Party's electoral defeat at the 2019 general election when Boris Johnson formed a majority Conservative government. Starmer appointed his Shadow Cabinet on 5 and 6 April. He reshuffled his Shadow Cabinet five times: in June 2020, May 2021, June 2021, November 2021 and 2023.

His Shadow Cabinet appointments included MPs associated with the various wings of the party. Angela Rayner was appointed deputy labour leader and shadow deputy prime minister, while Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper were appointed as shadow chancellor and shadow home secretary, respectively. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband was appointed shadow energy and climate secretary. Other notable appointments included David Lammy as shadow foreign secretary and Wes Streeting as shadow health secretary. A reshuffle of the Shadow Cabinet was undertaken in September 2023, which was described by the media as being dominated by Blairites and demoting MPs on the soft left.[1][2][3][4][5]

Following the achievement by the Labour Party of a majority in the 2024 general election, the shadow cabinet was disbanded after Starmer became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 5 July 2024, succeeding Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party.

  1. ^ Chaplain, Chloe (4 September 2023). "Keir Starmer purges soft left and surrounds himself with Blairites for General Election push". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Keir Starmer accused of promoting 'narrow band of Blairites'". The Independent. 4 September 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ Brown, Alexander (4 September 2023). "Labour reshuffle: Sir Keir Starmer's reshuffle purges left with right in complete control as Lisa Nandy suffers demotion". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  4. ^ Cunliffe, Rachel (4 September 2023). "Keir Starmer's reshuffle was politically ruthless". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  5. ^ Chaplain, Chloe (4 September 2023). "Keir Starmer purges soft left and surrounds himself with Blairites for General Election push". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.