Markus Andrews

The rise and fall of Angela RaynerSir Keir Starmer has made further sweeping changes to his top team with a junior minister reshuffle announced by Downing Street on Saturday. They include the appointment of former home secretary Jacqui Smith to the Department for Work and Pensions, and Jason Stockwood, who had a senior role at dating site match.com, to the Department of Business and Trade. The prime minister has also made a number of changes to the Home Office, in a bid to get a grip on illegal immigration.It comes as his chief secretary Darren Jones denied that Labour were in crisis, and rebuffed Nigel Farage’s prediction that there would be a general election in 2027. Asked if Angela Rayner’s resignation over her tax affairs would cause a split in the party, Mr Jones said: “Nigel Farage is wrong there. The Labour Party is not going to split and there won’t be an early election.”Starmer moved quickly to appoint David Lammy deputy prime minister while Yvette Cooper has been moved from home secretary to take up a new role as foreign secretary, with justice secretary Shabana Mahmood replacing her at the Home Office.Mr Lammy also becomes justice secretary as well as deputy PM. Lucy Powell, the leader of the House of Commons, and Scottish secretary Ian Murray have been sacked from their roles. In total, a dozen cabinet positions were changed during the reshuffle.Ex dating site boss now in charge of Britain’s trade dealsThe former managing director of Match.com has been appointed to the government as a minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade and the Treasury.English businessman Jason Stockwood – who previously stood in the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral race under the Labour banner – has been nominated for a life peerage in order to bring him into government, where he will help with Britain’s economic and trade policy. Millie Cooke6 September 2025 15:51Junior minister reshuffle announced as Starmer makes critical changesIn a statement, Downing Street has listed the junior minister reshuffle which has been approved this morning. They include: Jason Stockwood as Minister of State (Minister for Investment) jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury. Dan Jarvis MP as Minister of State in the Cabinet Office. He will remain Minister of State for the Home Department. Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern as Minister of State (Minister for Skills) in the Department for Work and Pensions. She will remain Minister of State (Minister for Skills and Minister for Women and Equalities) in the Department for Education. Lord Vallance KCB as Minister of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. He will remain Minister of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Michael Shanks MP as Minister of State jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Alison McGovern MP as Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP as Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP as Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions. Sarah Jones MP as Minister of State for the Home Department. Holly Evans6 September 2025 15:36First junior minister confirms departure as reshuffle continuesJustin Madders MP has been the first junior minister to confirmed that he is leaving the government as Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle continues. In a post on X, he wrote: “It has been a real privilege to serve as Minister for Employment Rights & begin delivering on our plan to make work pay.”Sadly it is now time to pass the baton on – I wish my successor well & will do what I can to help them make sure the ERB is implemented as intended.”He added that it is “disappointing” that he did not get to see the legislation through to Royal Assent.Holly Evans6 September 2025 15:34Nigel Farage confirms he would send women asylum seekers back to Taliban in AfghanistanIt comes after confusion over the Reform UK leader’s position on the issue, after he initially said he would deport women back to Afghanistan, before later saying he wouldn’t.But he said the UK has a “duty of care” if a four-year-old were to arrive in a dinghy.”For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” he added.”Children, we’ll have to think about.”Mr Farage faced condemnation last month when he said everyone who arrives in the UK via small boat, including women and children, would be detained.Read the full article here from our political correspondent Millie Cooke: Holly Evans6 September 2025 15:20Reform UK to get rid of ‘woke policing’ if elected A Reform UK government would do away with “woke policing”, MP Sarah Pochin has said.Speaking to the party’s conference in Birmingham, the Runcorn and Helsby MP said: “We have had enough of woke policing.“Police appearing to sympathise with protest groups that simply do not reflect the views of the majority of the British people.“I am sure that the police themselves would like nothing more than to get back to tackling crime, policing with impartiality and to protecting the British people.“A Reform government will address these issues and restore a strong police presence on our streets.”Holly Evans6 September 2025 14:56Farage rows back on pledge to stop small boats within fortnight of election winNigel Farage has rowed back on a pledge he made to the party’s conference to stop small boat crossings within two weeks of taking office.The Reform UK leader had told an audience at the NEC in Birmingham on Friday it would take a fortnight of him entering Downing Street to halt arrivals, if he won an election.However, he told the BBC that instead it would rely on any Government he led passing laws first.In an interview due to be aired on BBC One on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said the country would need a “legal base” to halt crossings.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage signing a football shirt during the party’s conference in Birmingham (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

As the dust settles on Keir Starmer’s first major reshuffle and politicos begin to scour the names of the ministers in his new cabinet, one could be forgiven for wondering whether anything much had changed at all.In fact, a veteran former MP summed it up quite curtly: “It was the moving the deckchairs on the Titanic reshuffle. Same faces, different positions.”And with Nigel Farage looming large at Reform’s conference in Birmingham, the Labour government did not seem to be avoiding a collision course with calamity.As harsh as this may sound, the reality is that when Starmer’s cabinet meets next week, only one new face will have been added – Emma Reynolds, the new environment secretary.The changes following Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle More

Reform UK members and party activists are queuing up at this year’s conference to purchase party-branded football shirts, emblazoned with the names of MPs and key party figures. 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.A football-style Reform scarf on sale More

Nigel Farage has confirmed he would deport female asylum seekers back to the Taliban in Afghanistan if he wins the next election. It comes after confusion over the Reform UK leader’s position on the issue, after he initially said he would deport women back to Afghanistan, before later saying he wouldn’t. Speaking to Sky News on the second day of the Reform conference in Birmingham, he was asked whether he would detain women and children and “send them back” – to which he responded: “Yes”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Jacob King/PA) More

Nigel Farage’s tax affairs are “irrelevant” to voters, according to Reform UK MP Richard Tice.Mr Tice, the party’s deputy leader, was asked whether the Reform UK leader would address questions over his partner buying his constituency home in Clacton.He told Times Radio: “I’m pleased to confirm I’m not his tax adviser. You’ll have to speak to them.”It’s irrelevant to what voters are concentrating on, which is our messaging, which is the message of hope. We can get out of this nightmare that we’re in.”Farage and Tice have both faced questions over tax affairs More

This year’s Reform UK conference has all the hallmarks of many of the party’s other events that came before it. Bold promises, a heavily utilised bar that serves booze from 10am, expensive merchandise that members go wild for, and – of course – pyrotechnics. But there was something different about this year’s conference. There was a palpable sense that Nigel Farage really could be Britain’s next prime minister. It helped Reform that the conference took place on a day where the government looked even more chaotic than normal, with Angela Rayner’s resignation and the ensuing government reshuffle. Nigel Farage immediately seized on the drama, bringing his speech forward by three hours to make sure he could respond to the news on the front foot. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage waves to the audience after his speech at the party’s annual conference (Jacob King/PA) More

Among those nearest to Angela Rayner there is genuine anger, even though they admit she made a mistake that cost her badly. A source close to the now former deputy prime minister, who resigned amid a scandal over her tax affairs, told The Independent: “Keir [Starmer], Morgan [McSweeney] and the whole cabal will regret what they did to her.“They won a battle today, but this is going to hurt them. They are actually an existential problem for the Labour Party.”While the prime minister had outwardly supported Rayner when she admitted to not having paid £40,000 of stamp duty on a flat in Brighton, there was a feeling that he was just waiting for the ethics adviser “to give him an excuse” to wield the knife.Keir Starmer has outwardly supported Angela Rayner but there is a feeling among some that he was waiting for an excuse to wield the knife More