Home secretary Yvette Cooper is reportedly set to lose her job as Sir Keir Starmer embarks on a major cabinet reshuffle followingAngela Rayner stepping down as deputy prime minister after an investigation into her tax affairs.
Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray have already been sacked this afternoon, while Ms Cooper could be moved from the Home Office and become foreign secretary, The Telegraph reported.
The prime minister’s reshuffle comes after Ms Rayner stepped down after ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus found that she had breached the ministerial code over her underpayment of stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex.
She told the prime minister in a letter that “I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice” and took “full responsibility for this error”.
In a letter responding to her resignation, the prime minister said he was “very sad” that her time in government had come to an end and that he had “nothing but admiration” for her.
Yvette Cooper ‘to be sacked from Home Office’
Yvette Cooper is set to be sacked from her job as home secretary, according to reports.
Sir Keir Starmer has embarked upon a major reshuffle after Angela Rayner stepped down as deputy prime minister following an investigation into her tax affairs.
The Telegraph is reporting that Ms Cooper could be moved to foreign secretary.
There is speculation that justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, is in prime position to take Ms Cooper’s job at the Home Office.
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Starmer cabinet reshuffle: Who is in and who is out as PM overhauls his top team
The Independent’s Archie Mitchell reports
Sir Keir Starmer has launched a major cabinet reshuffle after Angela Rayner’s resignation as housing secretary and deputy prime minister.
The prime minister is seeking to relaunch his government as it lags behind Reform UK in the polls and struggles to deliver on key promises.
Ms Rayner resigned after Sir Keir’s ethics advisor concluded she had breached the ministerial code by failing to pay the correct amount of stamp duty on the purchase of an £800,000 flat in Hove.
Scottish secretary Ian Murray sacked by Starmer
Ian Murray has been sacked as Scottish Secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle, sources said.
Mr Murray has represented Edinburgh South since 2010 – and was the only Scottish Labour MP left in Westminster after the party’s 2019 general election defeat.
A critic of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Murray has campaigned against Scottish independence and won the backing of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown during an unsuccessful bid for the Labour deputy leadership in 2020.
In a statement on X he said it was a “privilege” to play a role in bringing Labour back to power.
Lucy Powell said it was an ‘an honour’ to serve in government and confirms sacking
Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, has said it has been “an honour to serve in the first Labour Government in 15 years” as the Manchester Central MP confirmed she had been sacked in a post on X.
In a statement she said: “I spoke to the Prime Minister earlier today and he informed me of his intention to appoint a new Leader of the House of Commons.
“It has been an honour to serve in the first Labour Government in 15 years, particularly as Leader of the House. It’s been a role I’ve really enjoyed – overseeing the first Labour King’s Speech in a generation with such an ambitious and transformative legislative programme, taking on vested interests in the service of ordinary people.
“I’ve also had a big agenda of modernising the Commons – I’ve tightened the rules on MPs’ second jobs – with more to come, standing up for the different voices in the House, family-friendly measures and have been embarking on improved accessibility and inclusion. These are the changes a Labour Government can and should be making.
“This has not been an easy time for the Government. People want to see change and improvements to their difficult lives. Nor in politics more generally, not least with the rise of abuse, misrepresentation, social media echo chambers and the call for easy answers. As women in public life, we experience this all the more. The future of our democracy looks uncertain and Parliament and representational politics has an important role to play.
“Living and raising my children in my home city of Manchester has always given me a different perspective of politics. My first job has always been to represent the residents of Manchester Central, and I look forward to using my voice and my role on in Parliament to ensure they see the change they long for.”
Nigel Farage football shirts on sale at Reform conference as supporters gather in Birmingham
The shirts, which are flying off the shelves, are being sold for £40 – or particularly keen activists can buy two for £75.
For those who wanted something cheaper there were £15 caps or football terrace themed scarves to cheer on their top team.
‘Mixed feelings’ in Hove around Rayner’s resignation
Locals gathered outside Angela Rayner’s seaside flat in Hove discussed “mixed feelings” about the outgoing deputy prime minister.
“She was very busy and when you are busy you don’t always use common sense,” said Ann, who is from Australia but lives in the UK.
The group echoed that it was a “shame” but agreed with Ann that “£40,000 is an awful lot of money for some people”.
They added that they thought Ms Rayner was telling the truth and that it was “hard to tell” if she was responsible for the mistake.
“I think it’s most unfortunate the whole thing,” said Elaine, 88, who has lived in Hove since she was 11.
Others in the area have been much less charitable, shaking their heads at the mention of Ms Rayner and calling for her to be sacked.
Another local, Paul, said: “They’re all the same, different rules for them than it is for us.”
Starmer will appoint a new deputy prime minister
The BBC has reported that Sir Keir Starmer is expected to appoint a new deputy prime minister.
The person in this role will have a significant leadership role within the ruling party.
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Lucy Powell and Ian Murray sacked from cabinet, Sky News reports
Lucy Powell, who has served as leader of the House of Commons since the general election, has been sacked, Sky News reports.
Another reported sacking is Ian Murray, the Scotland secretary, who is also understood to be leaving government.
The prime minister is currently re-shuffling his top team in the wake of Angela Rayner’s resignation.
