Rayner resigns, David Lammy appointed deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom

NEWS

Express newspaper
05/09/2025 22:53

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been appointed the country’s new deputy prime minister and justice secretary, replacing Angela Rayner, who resigned over a tax scandal.

Rayner’s resignation on Friday, for breaching ministerial code after failing to pay taxes on her apartment, triggered a major cabinet reshuffle, with Lammy elevated to deputy prime minister, among a series of new appointments.

David Lammy immediately gave his reaction to the new appointment in a post on X, where he said:
“It is the honour of my life to be appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary by Keir Starmer. Ever since I was a boy growing up in Tottenham, I have been determined to help make this country fairer, safer and better.”

He also praised his predecessor, describing Angela Rayner as a minister who did an exceptional job in government.

The major reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s departure brought changes to two of the most senior cabinet positions.

Yvette Cooper is now Foreign Secretary, Shabana Mahmood Home Secretary.

The cabinet reshuffle was completed with Yvette Cooper leaving the Home Office to become Foreign Secretary, Shabana Mahmood was appointed Home Secretary, while Lammy took on the role of Justice Secretary in addition to his duties as Deputy Prime Minister.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, and the Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray, confirmed their departure from the government, following reports of dismissal.
In a post on X, Powell said Starmer had communicated to him that he would be replaced by a new leader of the House of Commons.

The departure of Rayner – a key figure and one of the possible names for prime minister – has caused turmoil in the Labour Party, which now ranks behind Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK party in national polls.

Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull said from Birmingham that Rayner’s departure could be the loss of the closest connection the Labour Party has to its working-class roots.