On 4 September 2023, Keir Starmer, Leader of the UK Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, carried out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet. This was his third major reshuffle and was described as promoting his loyalists to senior roles.
Starmer's deputy Angela Rayner received the shadow levelling up post, replacing Lisa Nandy who was demoted to the shadow minister for international development. The most senior members of the shadow cabinet remained in their positions. Rosena Allin-Khan, who was the shadow minister for mental health before the reshuffle, resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, criticising shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting's advocacy for outsourcing the NHS to the private sector. She also said that Starmer did "not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet". The reshuffle coincided with the start of the tenure of Sue Gray as Starmer's new chief of staff.
Writers from The Guardian and Politico said that the Blairite wing of the party had prospered in the reshuffle to the detriment of the soft left of the party. One shadow minister, said of the reshuffle, "It's all the Blairites" and called it "an entirely factional takeover". Starmer said that he was putting his "strongest possible players on the pitch" ahead of the upcoming general election. Tom Belger writing for LabourList described the reshuffle as a continuing of "Labour's right-ward march". Background The last shadow cabinet reshuffle was carried out in November 2021. Since then the Labour Party has performed strongly in opinion polls in the lead up to the 2024 general election. Labour gains in the by-elections in Wakefield and Selby and Ainsty consolidated their electoral performance as did the 2022 local elections. In August 2023, it was speculated in the media that Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner could have her responsibilities changed. It was reported that most "big guns" were considered to be safe. The reshuffle coincided with the appointment of Sue Gray as Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer.
Changes Sue Gray took a leading role in the reshuffle. It included the promotion of Blairites Hilary Benn and Pat McFadden who served under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Lisa Nandy lost her role as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to become a shadow foreign office minister, the Shadow Overseas Development Minister, which was described by Sam Coates as "unambiguously a demotion". Labour have stated their intention to reinstate the Department for International Development if they win office. Fellow Greater Manchester MP Angela Rayner became the new shadow levelling up secretary and was also given the new role of Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This consolidated her role in any future Labour government. Gray was involved in negotiations with Rayner over her position.
Hilary Benn returned to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for the first time since he resigned as Shadow Foreign Secretary in 2016 under Jeremy Corbyn. Gray is believed to have been involved in this appointment as well. Jim McMahon resigned as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, citing ill health, and returned to the backbenches.
Rosena Allin-Khan resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, criticising Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting's advocacy for outsourcing the National Health Service (NHS) to the private sector. She also said that Starmer did "not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet".
Reaction John Rentoul wrote in The Independent that Starmer delaying the reshuffle was to avoid a revolt from the left wing of the party. The promotion of Andrew Gwynne, a former ally of Jeremy Corbyn from the left of the party, was seen as Starmer extending an olive branch to the party's left wing.
Both Momentum and Compass accused Starmer of promoting a "narrow band of Blairites". Starmer was described as demoting figures from the soft left of the party and promoting in their place his loyalists as well as Blairites. While there were leading figures on the soft left who remained in the shadow cabinet, such as Ed Miliband, Louise Haigh and Angela Rayner, the faction was thought to have lost most of its influence. Owen Jones criticised the amount of Blairites in the new shadow cabinet. Andrew Fisher who was Director of Policy of the Labour Party, under leader Jeremy Corbyn described Starmer as a "weak leader" surrounded by yes men. A shadow minister described the reshuffle as a factional takeover and described it as "all the Blairites" and a "shoring up of the right of the party". Likewise, editor at LabourList, Tom Belger, wrote of the reshuffle, "More Blairites than Blair" and quoted an MP that stated "even Blair didn't have this many Blairites in his cabinet". Belger also stated that the reshuffle signified that "Labour's right-ward march continues".
Cabinet-level changes Colour key MinisterPosition(s) before reshufflePosition(s) after reshuffleJim McMahon MPShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsBackbench MP – Resigned for health reasonsLisa Nandy MPShadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and CommunitiesShadow Cabinet Minister for International DevelopmentAngela Rayner MPShadow First Secretary of StateDeputy Leader of the Labour PartyShadow Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterShadow Secretary of State for the Future of WorkShadow Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Leader of the Labour PartyShadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and CommunitiesStrategic Lead for Labour's New DealShabana Mahmood MPLabour Party National Campaign CoordinatorShadow Secretary of State for JusticeSteve Reed MPShadow Secretary of State for JusticeShadow Lord ChancellorShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsPat McFadden MPShadow Chief Secretary to the TreasuryShadow Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterLabour Party National Campaign CoordinatorLiz Kendall MPShadow Minister for Social CareShadow Secretary of State for Work and PensionsJonathan Ashworth MPShadow Secretary of State for Work and PensionsShadow Paymaster GeneralThangam Debbonaire MPShadow Leader of the House of CommonsShadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and SportPeter Kyle MPShadow Secretary of State for Northern IrelandShadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and TechnologyDarren Jones MPChair of the Business and Trade Select CommitteeShadow Chief Secretary to the TreasuryNick Thomas-Symonds MPShadow President of the Board of TradeShadow Secretary of State for International TradeShadow Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet OfficeHilary Benn MP Backbench MPShadow Secretary of State for Northern IrelandLucy Powell MPShadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and SportShadow Leader of the House of CommonsRosena Allin-Khan MPShadow Cabinet Minister for Mental HealthBackbench MP – Resigned over policy differencesPreet Gill MPShadow Cabinet Minister for International DevelopmentShadow Minister for Primary Care and Public HealthEllie Reeves MPShadow Minister for Prisons and ProbationLabour Party Deputy National Campaign Coordinator
Junior changes These roles were left vacant following the cabinet-level changes:
Chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee On 5 and 6 September, a number of junior changes were announced: MinisterPosition(s) before reshufflePosition(s) after reshuffleStephen Morgan MPShadow Schools MinisterShadow Minister for RailCatherine McKinnell MPChair of the Petitions CommitteeShadow Schools MinisterAbena Oppong-Asare MPShadow Exchequer Secretary to the TreasuryShadow Minister Women's Health and Mental HealthAlex Norris MPShadow Minister for Levelling UpShadow Minister for PolicingSarah Jones MPShadow Minister for Policing and the Fire ServiceShadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation (new role)Dan Jarvis MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for SecurityHolly Lynch MPShadow Minister for SecurityOpposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons (Legislation)Seema Malhotra MPShadow Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour MarketsShadow Minister for SkillsChris Bryant MPChair of the Commons Committee on StandardsShadow Minister for Creative Industries and DigitalTanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MPShadow Minister for RailShadow Exchequer Secretary to the TreasuryAndrew Gwynne MPShadow Minister for Public HealthShadow Minister for Social CareJessica Morden MPParliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of CommonsShadow Minister for Wales and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the OppositionRushanara Ali MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for Investment and Small BusinessKarin Smyth MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for HealthFleur Anderson MPShadow Paymaster GeneralShadow Minister for Northern IrelandJustin Madders MPShadow Minister for Employment Rights and ProtectionShadow Minister for Business, Employment Rights and Levelling UpGareth Thomas MPShadow Minister for International TradeShadow Minister for TradeAfzal Khan MPShadow Minister for Legal AidShadow Minister for ExportsAlan Whitehead MPShadow Minister for Green New Deal and EnergyShadow Minister for Energy SecurityJeff Smith MPShadow Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and MusicShadow Minister for Clean Power and ConsumersStephanie Peacock MPShadow Minister for Media, Data and Digital InfrastructureShadow Minister for Sport, Gambling and MediaLilian Greenwood MPOpposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of CommonsShadow Minister for Arts, Heritage and Civil SocietyBarbara Keeley MPShadow Minister for Arts and Civil SocietyShadow Minister for Music and TourismToby Perkins MPShadow Minister for Apprenticeships and Lifelong LearningShadow Minister for Rural AffairsEmma Hardy MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for Environmental Quality and ResilienceAnna McMorrin MPShadow Minister for Victims and Youth JusticeShadow Minister for Latin America and the CaribbeanFeryal Clark MPShadow Minister for Primary Care and Patient SafetyShadow Minister for HealthNick Smith MPBackbench MPShadow Deputy Leader of the House of CommonsFlorence Eshalomi MPShadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet OfficeShadow Minister for DemocracyPaula Barker MPShadow Minister for Homelessness and Rough SleepingShadow Minister for Devolution and the English RegionsMike Amesbury MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for Building Safety and HomelessnessImran Hussain MPShadow Minister for WorkShadow Minister for the New Deal for Working PeopleMaria Eagle MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for ProcurementJanet Daby MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for Youth JusticeKevin Brennan MPBackbench MPShadow Minister for Victims and SentencingRuth Cadbury MPShadow Minister for International TradeShadow Minister for Prisons, Parole and ProbationAlex Davies-Jones MPShadow Minister for Tech, Gambling and Digital EconomyShadow Minister for Tech and Digital EconomyMatt Rodda MPShadow Minister for PensionsShadow Minister for AI and Intellectual PropertyGerald Jones MPShadow Minister for WalesShadow Minister for ScotlandBill Esterson MPShadow Minister for Business and IndustryShadow Minister for RoadsSimon Lightwood MPShadow Minister for Buses and TaxisShadow Minister for Local TransportChris Evans MPShadow Minister for Defence ProcurementShadow Minister for Social SecurityGill Furniss MPShadow Minister for RoadsShadow Minister for PensionsMark Tami MPOpposition Pairing WhipOpposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons (Accommodation and Pairing)Alex Sobel MPShadow Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic EnvironmentBackbench MPNia Griffith MPShadow Minister for ExportsShadow Minister in the Cabinet OfficeFabian Hamilton MPShadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament, Latin America and the CaribbeanBackbench MPLiz Twist MPShadow Minister for ScotlandBackbench MP These roles were vacant on 6 September:
Chair of the Petitions Committee
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