After Sadiq Khan’s electoral win for the second term as the Mayor of London, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has reshuffled his cabinet of ministers. Many leaders of the Labour party suffered a crushing defeat against the Conservatives.
Rachel Reeves is now the party’s Treasury spokeswoman, and Anneliese Dodds has been demoted to be party chair. Nick Brown has been replaced. Deborah Mattinson is now the director of strategy. Starmer has removed his deputy, Angela Rayner, from her job as party chair and election chief. Later, he created a new position for her: Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work, a position that doesn’t exist in government. She will also serve as a shadow Cabinet office minister.
Tory successes in the parliamentary seat of Hartlepool in Labour’s former heartlands, have put Starmer into an uncomfortable spot.
In a statement, Starmer said, “The Labour Party must be the party that embraces the demand for change across our country. That will require bold ideas and a relentless focus on the priorities of the British people. Just as the pandemic has changed what is possible and what is necessary, so Labour must change too.” Starmer called the results “bitterly disappointing”.
According to results compiled by the BBC, after elections were held in 143 councils in England, the Tories gained power in 13 and Labour lost control of 8. The Conservatives added 235 local council representatives to their tally, while Labour lost 322.
