Shadow Cabinet reshuffle 29/10/2021

[brad465]

Starmer has decided to do a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle today:

Labour reshuffle: Yvette Cooper becomes shadow home secretary

Sir Keir Starmer makes big changes to his shadow cabinet, for the second time as Labour leader.

www.bbc.co.uk

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has started a reshuffle of his shadow ministers.
The reorganisation began as the party's deputy leader Angela Rayner was giving a speech about ministers' conduct.
Asked about the reshuffle, Ms Rayner said she was not aware of one adding: "I've been concentrating on the job that I'm doing."
In one of the first moves, shadow Cabinet Office minister Cat Smith will return to the backbenches.

Not sure what the motive is, as Starmer is in nowhere near as much trouble as he was when he had to reshuffle in response to the May local elections, but it could be forward planning and/or getting the party some publicity. There are also reports Yvette Cooper will be getting a prominent role in the shadow cabinet.

 

[nlogax]

First glance suggests he's moving the shadow cabinet firmly towards the centre ground and removing the last traces of those who aligned with Corbyn. It would be excellent to see Cooper back on the front bench. Seems to me she's a very effective politician.

 

[Bertone]

Will Angela “survive” I wonder!

 

[birchesgreen]

Deputy leader is an elected position by the members.

 

[Bertone]

Deputy leader is an elected position by the members.

Ah yes, thank you for reminder.

 

[DarloRich]

Good. Hopefully get any passengers still on the Corbyn fan bus out of the way and replaced by sensible people.

 

[AlterEgo]

I’ve actually no idea who the Shadow Cabinet actually are. Labour is full of nobodies.

 

[brad465]

I’ve actually no idea who the Shadow Cabinet actually are. Labour is full of nobodies.

Now's your time to find out once this reshuffle is done. Labour do need to do more to become visible for sure (which this reshuffle might be trying to address), but the pandemic and resultant media coverage focus on that hasn't helped them thus far. It's also worth remembering everybody in public life is a "nobody" at some point before becoming widely known, unless you're a Royal.

 

[AlterEgo]

Now's your time to find out once this reshuffle is done. Labour do need to do more to become visible for sure (which this reshuffle might be trying to address), but the pandemic and resultant media coverage focus on that hasn't helped them thus far. It's also worth remembering everybody in public life is a "nobody" at some point before becoming widely known, unless you're a Royal.

I don’t think it’s helpful for Her Majesty’s Official Opposition to be *entirely nobodies*. I don’t know, or care, who the shadow chancellor is, even. Likewise the shadow foreign minister or shadow education minister. Just haven’t a clue. A total vacuum.

 

[gg1]

First glance suggests he's moving the shadow cabinet firmly towards the centre ground and removing the last traces of those who aligned with Corbyn. It would be excellent to see Cooper back on the front bench. Seems to me she's a very effective politician.

I certainly hope so, she was my preferred choice as Labour leader in the 2015 leadership election.

 

[DarloRich]

It seems Cat Smith - Shadow something or other - has quit her shadow cabinet position ( despite seemingly not being at risk) because, well, Corbyn. Bye.

 

[brad465]

We're 6 hours on from when the reshuffle was announced but, other than Cat Smith leaving, I haven't seen any confirmed changes oddly.

 

[Domh245]

I don’t think it’s helpful for Her Majesty’s Official Opposition to be *entirely nobodies*. I don’t know, or care, who the shadow chancellor is, even. Likewise the shadow foreign minister or shadow education minister. Just haven’t a clue. A total vacuum.

Though if the net result of a 'personality politics' approach is the current cabinet then give me a cabinet full of dull people in grey suits!

Opposition politicians are (sort of by design) out of the limelight and comparative nobodies unless they're a Jess Phillips or Boris Johnson with a degree of self-inflicted fame (be that other jobs/drawing attention to themselves), have previously served in a governmental role, or have been thrust into the limelight opposing a particular piece of government legislation.

The combination of over a decade since power, and the sideways jumps (or loss of seats!) that some of the former ministers & other names (Burnham, Khan) in the Corbyn era means the Parliamentary Labour party is inevitably rather anonymous. I'm sure Keir Starmer would love to put some big names in his shadow cabinet, but he's not got many to pick from, especially if he wants to avoid any of the high ups from the last shadow Cabinet.

I'm curious though, how many of David Cameron's shadow cabinet could you have named in January 2010* bearing in mind most of them became ministers and were in the public spotlight for at least 5 years afterwards?

Spoiler: Cameron's Shadow Cabinet

William Hague: Foreign & Commonwealth affairs
George Osborne: Chancellor
Chris Grayling: Home
Eric Pickles: Party Chair
Dominic Grieve: Justice
Health: Andrew Lansley
Caroline Spelman: Communities & Local Government
Michael Gove: Children, Schools, & Family
Liam Fox: Defence
Nick Herbert: DEFRA
Theresa May: Work & Pensions + Women & Equality
Greg Clark: Energy & Climate Change
Theresa Villiers: Transport
George Young: Leader of the HoC
Jeremy Hunt: Culture Media & Sport
Cheryl Gillan: Wales
Andrew Mitchell: International development
Ken Clarke: Business Innovation & Skills
Philip Hammond: Secretary to the Treasury
David Willets: Universities & Skills
Grant Shapps: Housing
David Mundell: Scotland
Owen Patterson: Northern Ireland
Mark Francois: Europe (!)

 

[brad465]

We've got some moves now, the most prominent being Yvette Cooper becoming Shadow Home Secretary, with others in the text below:

Labour reshuffle: Yvette Cooper becomes shadow home secretary

Sir Keir Starmer makes big changes to his shadow cabinet, for the second time as Labour leader.

www.bbc.co.uk

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Yvette Cooper shadow home secretary, in a wide-ranging reshuffle of Labour's top team.

Ms Cooper replaces Nick Thomas-Symonds, who takes over as shadow international trade secretary from Emily Thornberry.

Elsewhere, David Lammy has been promoted to shadow foreign secretary, replacing Lisa Nandy.

Ms Nandy takes a new role scrutinising Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.

In other moves, Wes Streeting is being promoted to become the shadow health secretary, replacing Jonathan Ashworth.

Mr Ashworth will become the new shadow work and pensions secretary. Ms Thornberry will become shadow attorney-general.

 

[birchesgreen]

Glad Yvette is back to the front line, should have been leader in 2015.

 

[90sWereBetter]

Looking like a very strong shadow cabinet, Streeting at Health, Phillipson at Education and Cooper at Home are great appointments. I do wish Chuka Umunna and Luciana Berger were still in the party and in Parliament though.

Hopefully that should wash away the stench of Corbynism, I note McDonnell is already whinging on the socials.

 

[Butts]

Looking like a very strong shadow cabinet, Streeting at Health, Phillipson at Education and Cooper at Home are great appointments. I do wish Chuka Umunna and Luciana Berger were still in the party and in Parliament though.

Hopefully that should wash away the stench of Corbynism, I note McDonnell is already whinging on the socials.

Who ???

Never heard of them.

Is this wishful thinking on your part ?

 

[TheBigD]

Glad Yvette is back to the front line, should have been leader in 2015.

Yet she ran a less than inspiring leadership campaign then.

 

[52290]

Who ???

Never heard of them.

Is this wishful thinking on your part ?

Apart from the Prime Minister, Stanley Johnson, I'd find it difficult to name another member of the government or the opposition, apart from Keir Hardy of course.

 

[birchesgreen]

Yet she ran a less than inspiring leadership campaign then.

I dunno about that, i was inspired to vote for her

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Yet she ran a less than inspiring leadership campaign then.

....and she wasn't particularly successful against the Conservative Home Secretary when she was shadow under Miliband from what I recall

 

[GusB]

Hand on heart, I honestly find it difficult to remember who is actually in government at the moment, never mind who the shadow cabinet is. Prior to Blair's Labour government, it seemed to me that members of the shadow cabinet were as well-known as those in the actual cabinet; Blunkett, Brown and Cook were household names, for example. Maybe it's because they'd been there for so long before they actually got into power.

 

[Typhoon]

I don’t think it’s helpful for Her Majesty’s Official Opposition to be *entirely nobodies*. I don’t know, or care, who the shadow chancellor is, even. Likewise the shadow foreign minister or shadow education minister. Just haven’t a clue. A total vacuum.

I think that is right, some of those moved or removed were just that. They need to put themselves forward more. I know there has been criticism of Yvette Cooper but, as chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, she has had quite a bit of publicity and, I think, quite effective. She, at least, won't need time to get up to speed with legislation going through the house. I will be interested in who is appointed to Chair the committee now, I think they divi them up and this is one Labour gets; one of the other members of the committee is the member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington!

I've heard Wes Streeting a few times, came across as competent. I thought Ashworth was quite effective but DWP is an area where Labour needs to be attacking the Conservatives, it comes across as an inefficient department (probably because of lack of staff) moving from one pressure point to another. I think the apparent demotion of Nandy is also a plus - she now has a role which will put her more in the limelight than the Foreign Office (which few care about) would - helpful that she represents an area that needs to be levelled up*. I have heard the name 'Bridget Phillipson' for a few years but she needs to make an impact. Williamson was a truly incompetent Education Secretary but Labour hardly laid a glove on him, just about all the damage that was done to his reputation was self-inflicted. Jonathan Reynolds is another name - I can visualise him but I cannot tell you much about him. He is up against Kwasi Kwarteng, hardly the strongest member of the government, but he did very little as far as I can see when shadowing the DWP.

Though if the net result of a 'personality politics' approach is the current cabinet then give me a cabinet full of dull people in grey suits!

William Hague: Foreign & Commonwealth affairs
George Osborne: Chancellor
Chris Grayling: Home
...
Mark Francois: Europe (!)

Can I assume that the exclamation mark is yours? In which case I would have put at least three against the shadow Home Secretary, we had a close shave there.

* - I took this from a website https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/

 

[317 forever]

As Lisa Nandy is so concerned about left behind communities in towns, this is an excellent move for her to a role shadowing Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove. (Admittedly that is probably not his actual job title).

Wes Streeting, now Shadow Health Secretary, as MP for Ilford North is the only MP to have won a seat for Labour in 2015 that was Conservative in 2005.

Yvette Cooper shadowing the Home Office is excellent too. She is the best placed candidate to tear strips off Priti Patel. The only thing I remember about her predecessor is that he has a double-barrel surname and is Welsh.

 

[Typhoon]

As Lisa Nandy is so concerned about left behind communities in towns, this is an excellent move for her to a role shadowing Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove. (Admittedly that is probably not his actual job title).

I'm sorry to disappoint you:

The Rt Hon Michael Gove was appointed Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 15 September 2021.

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/michael-gove

 

[317 forever]

^^^^^

So quite a mouthful then