Starmer reappoints minister days after sacking her in Rayner reshuffle

Labour leader Keir Starmer has reappointed Lilian Greenwood as a parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Transport (DfT) less than two weeks after she was removed from that post in a broader reshuffle.

Greenwood, the 59-year-old Member of Parliament for Nottingham South, was moved to the government Whips’ Office on Sept. 7 as part of the shuffle that followed the resignation of Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner. The DfT announced Greenwood’s return on Tuesday, saying she will take on a new brief as Local Transport Minister while remaining part of the Whips team.

The department’s social media account posted a "welcome back" message, and Greenwood responded with a short clip of a woman dancing, saying she was "delighted to be reappointed to the (DfT) in a new role as Local Transport Minister. Chuffed to also be continuing my work in the Whips team as we continue to drive forward this Labour government's agenda and work to rebuild a transport system Britain can rely on."

The reshuffle was prompted by Rayner’s decision to step down after acknowledging she underpaid tax connected to a holiday home purchase. Starmer has been issuing further appointments in the weeks since that resignation, shifting ministers and whipping arrangements as he settles his team.

One of the MPs affected by the reshuffle, Lucy Powell, who is among two candidates seeking to replace Rayner as Commons leader, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that losing the role in the reshuffle was "a kind of shock but not a total surprise." Powell said she did not feel part of the "in-crowd" and suggested some of the feedback she provided while in post may not have been welcome. She added that mistakes by the Labour government had created a perception that the party was "not on the side of ordinary people," while also listing policy achievements such as reductions in waiting lists, increased NHS appointments, the Employment Rights Bill, and moves on rail public ownership.

Greenwood previously served in the Department for Transport before her brief reassignment to the Whips’ Office. The swift reversal of that move leaves the Labour leadership continuing to fine-tune ministerial responsibilities and parliamentary management amid scrutiny of the reshuffle that followed Rayner’s resignation.

No further comment was issued by Downing Street or the Labour leadership beyond the departmental announcement and Greenwood’s social media response.