Several other changes have been made.
Sir Keir Starmer has begun a significant reshuffle of his senior team following Angela Rayner’s resignation over a stamp duty breach.
Shabana Mahmood, formerly the Justice Secretary, has been appointed as the new Home Secretary.
Ms Mahmood takes over the Home Office at a pivotal time when immigration and asylum seeking have been hot topics in the UK.
David Lammy is reported to replace Ms Rayner as Deputy Prime Minister and will also become Justice Secretary, moving from his role as Foreign Secretary.
Several other changes have been made.
Yvette Cooper is set to move from her role at the Home Office to become Foreign Secretary, taking over Mr Lammy’s previous position.
Pat McFadden will head a new “super ministry” combining the Department for Work and Pensions with the skills remit from the Department for Education.
Lucy Powell and Ian Murray have reportedly been sacked as leader of the House of Commons and Scotland secretary, respectively.
Ms Rayner resigned after Sir Keir’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, concluded she had breached the ministerial code by failing to pay the full stamp duty on an £800,000 property in Hove.
In his assessment, Sir Laurie said Ms Rayner had acted in “good faith” but noted:
“The responsibility of any taxpayer for reporting their tax returns and settling their liabilities rests ultimately with themselves.
“She believed that she relied on the legal advice she had received, but unfortunately did not heed the caution contained within it, which acknowledged that it did not constitute expert tax advice and which suggested expert advice be sought.”
The ethics watchdog concluded that Ms Rayner’s failure to settle her full stamp duty liability.
This was coupled with the issue coming to light only after media scrutiny, resulting in a breach of the ministerial code.
In a letter to the Prime Minister on September 5, Ms Rayner said “I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice” and took “full responsibility for this error”.
Sir Keir responded by saying Ms Rayner would “remain a major figure in our party” and “continue to fight for the causes you care so passionately about”.
Shabana Mahmood now assumes responsibility for the Home Office, a role that will see her oversee law enforcement, national security, and immigration policy.
Her appointment marks a key moment in Sir Keir’s government, signalling a renewed focus on experienced leadership across critical departments.
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