Keir Starmer names David Lammy deputy prime minister after Angela Rayner quits cabinet
Reshuffle follows Rayner's admission that she underpaid stamp duty and her resignations from the cabinet and as deputy Labour leader
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed Labour MP David Lammy as his new deputy prime minister and carried out a wider reshuffle of senior ministers after Angela Rayner resigned from the cabinet and as deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Rayner stepped down from her government role and from the party's deputy leadership after acknowledging that she had underpaid stamp duty when buying a flat earlier this year. Her departures prompted Starmer to reallocate a number of cabinet positions and move several ministers into new portfolios as he sought to fill the vacancies and restore the front bench's operational shape.
The changes, announced one day ago, place Lammy in the second-most senior role in government. The prime minister also shifted several other figures in and out of ministerial posts; the Visual Journalism team at BBC News has published short biographies of members of the cabinet and the ministers who attend its meetings, providing background on the Labour MPs now holding key government responsibilities.
Rayner's admission and subsequent resignations came after the disclosure that she had not fully paid stamp duty in connection with a property purchase earlier this year. She told colleagues and the public that the error related to tax on the acquisition of a flat, and her decision to leave the cabinet and the party deputy post followed that revelation. Starmer's immediate response was to reorganise the ministerial ranks to ensure continuity of government business.
The reshuffle is likely to command attention across Westminster as ministers settle into new roles and the government proceeds with its legislative and policy agenda. The BBC biographies outline the parliamentary experience and previous roles of those now serving in the cabinet and attending its meetings, offering a resource for understanding the expertise and responsibilities concentrated in the reconstituted front bench.
Further reporting by major outlets will track how the new appointments affect government priorities and day-to-day operations. For readers seeking details on the composition of the revamped cabinet and brief biographies of those appointed, the BBC's visual guide provides an accessible summary of each member and the positions they occupy following the changes.