November 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle

Not to be confused with 2021 British cabinet reshuffle or May 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.

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Keir Starmer's signature

On 29 November 2021, Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom, carried out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet.[1][2] The slimmed down shadow cabinet, was seen to be Starmer creating a top team in his own image.[3]

Considered a surprise,[4] this reshuffle included the promotion of Yvette Cooper and David Lammy to Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Foreign Secretary, respectively, while Miliband was moved from Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy to Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero. The appointment of Cooper in particular was described by some commentators as a sign of Labour further splitting from the Corbyn leadership and moving to the right.[5]

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston of ITV News said that the reshuffle aimed to "combine experience and youth" and end "the fatuous project of trying to ... placate Labour's warring factions", and instead chose "shadow ministers for their perceived ability".[6][7] In the New Statesman, journalist Stephen Bush suggested that Starmer had "removed underperforming shadow cabinet ministers and rewarded his biggest hitters – but the resulting shadow cabinet looks to be less than the sum of its parts."[8]

Cabinet-level changes

[edit]
Colour key
  •      Joined the Shadow Cabinet
  •      Left the Shadow Cabinet
  •      Portfolio created/renamed
Minister Position(s) before reshuffle Position(s) after reshuffle
Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee
Backbench MP 		Shadow Home Secretary
Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds FRHistS MP Shadow Home Secretary Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade
Rt Hon Emily Thornberry MP Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales
Rt Hon The Lord Falconer QC PC Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales
Shadow Advocate General for Scotland
Shadow Minister for Scotland 		Shadow Advocate General for Scotland
Shadow Minister for Scotland
Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Bridget Phillipson MP Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Kate Green OBE MP Shadow Secretary of State for Education Left the Opposition frontbench
Rt Hon David Lammy FRSA MP Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord Chancellor 		Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Lisa Nandy MP Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Steve Reed OBE MP Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord Chancellor
Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero
Jonathan Reynolds MP Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy
Rt Hon Jonathan Ashworth MP Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Wes Streeting MP Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Peter Kyle MP Shadow Minister for Schools Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Louise Haigh MP Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Jim McMahon OBE FRSA MP Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Luke Pollard MP Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Left the Opposition frontbench
Lucy Powell MP Shadow Secretary of State for Housing Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Jo Stevens MP Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
Nia Griffith MP Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Shadow Minister of State for International Trade

Junior-level changes

[edit]

On 4 December 2021, LabourList reported the junior changes to the frontbench.[9]

Reaction

[edit]

Resignation of Cat Smith

[edit]

Before the reshuffle was underway, Cat Smith resigned as Shadow Secretary of State for Young People and Democracy, despite Starmer asking her to stay in her position. In her resignation letter, Smith described the ongoing suspension of Jeremy Corbyn as "utterly unsustainable" and voiced her concern that the situation was damaging the party.[15][16]

Failure to inform Angela Rayner

[edit]

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner was not notified of the reshuffle, as it was first reported while she was making a keynote speech on Parliamentary Standards at the Institute for Government. The resignation tweet from Cat Smith was sent out during the Q&A section, so Rayner was caught off guard.[17] Starmer was criticised for not notifying his deputy before announcing the reshuffle.[18] Lisa Nandy dismissed claims that Rayner had been humiliated over the alleged snub, stating that the reshuffle showed "we’re moving north" to a question on Sky News asking about the left–right focus on the reshuffle which had been discussed in the media.[19] A similar rift occurred at the reshuffle in May 2021, in which Rayner was demoted from her position as party chair and national campaign coordinator after Labour's heavy loss in the 2021 Hartlepool by-election.[20][21]

Appointment of Yvette Cooper

[edit]
Yvette Cooper in 2016

Yvette Cooper's appointment as Shadow Home Secretary was one of the most significant changes announced by Starmer, as it returned her to the role she had previously occupied in 2015 as a member of the Miliband shadow cabinet. The move was seen as a shift towards the right and a further departure from the Corbyn era.[22] Jon Craig of Sky News described Cooper as "Labour's lost leader" and speculated that her comeback would increase her odds of one day succeeding Starmer.[23]

Other appointments

[edit]

David Lammy was promoted to Shadow Foreign Secretary.[24] He had served as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and in the weeks before the reshuffle had been under scrutiny for his second job.[25] His appointment was criticised in the Daily Telegraph.[26]

The decision to move Lisa Nandy from her position as Shadow Foreign Secretary would have typically been regarded as a demotion; however, it was widely reported to be positive, as her new role would involve opposing the Johnson government's flagship levelling up policy and facing Michael Gove across the dispatch box.[27] Nandy's experience as a Northern MP and interest in the importance of towns have been cited as making her well-suited to the portfolio.[28][29]

Former Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband was moved to a new role, from Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to Shadow Climate Change Secretary.[30] While he had been praised for his speeches during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow,[31] his responsibilities may have been reduced in response to his outspoken support for the public ownership of energy companies.[32]

Laura Kuenssberg of BBC News wrote that the slimmed down shadow cabinet aimed to "combine experience and youth".[33] Robert Peston of ITV News described the reshuffle as abandoning "the fatuous project of trying to ... placate Labour's warring factions". Instead, Starmer has "chosen shadow ministers for their perceived ability".[34] Stephen Bush of the New Statesman presented a more critical perspective on the reshuffle, arguing that certain appointments (such as moving to Streeting to Health rather than Education) did not appear to "make sense".[35] Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who had served under Jeremy Corbyn, stated that the reshuffle "[gave] the impression of Christmas Past not Christmas Future", while criticising the perceived promotion of "Blairite" MPs.[36]

The reshuffle was considered to boost Labour's chances in the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election four days later.[37] However, it lost the by-election.[38]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Labour reshuffle: Yvette Cooper becomes shadow home secretary". BBC News. 29 November 2021.
  2. ^ Heather Stewart (29 November 2021). "Labour reshuffle: who's up and who's down in Keir Starmer's shake-up". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Isabel Hardman (29 November 2021). "Starmer's attention-grabbing shadow cabinet reshuffle". The Spectator.
  4. ^ "Yvette Cooper returns as Starmer reshuffles his shadow cabinet". The Independent. 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Yvette Cooper Makes Labour Frontbench Comeback After Keir Starmer Reshuffles Top Team". Politics Home. 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  6. ^ Kuenssberg, Laura (29 November 2021). "Labour reshuffle: Starmer aims to combine experience and youth". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  7. ^ Peston, Robert (29 November 2021). "Keir Starmer chooses the Labour team he actually rates". ITV News. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  8. ^ Bush, Stephen (29 November 2021). "Keir Starmer's new-look shadow cabinet is less than the sum of its parts". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  9. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (4 December 2021). "Keir Starmer unveils new frontbench team after wider reshuffle". LabourList. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Tweet from Wes Streeting, announcing the new Shadow H&SC team". Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Tweet announcing new role". Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Tweet announcing new role". Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Tweet announcing new role". Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Tweet announcing new role". Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  15. ^ Cat Smith [@CatSmithMP] (29 November 2021). "It's been an honour to serve on the Labour front bench since 2015 but I'm looking forward to spending even more time at home here in Lancashire and standing up for my constituents" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Adam Forrest; Ashley Cowburn (29 November 2021). "Labour reshuffle: Keir Starmer launches shake up as frontbencher Cat Smith quits". The Independent.
  17. ^ "Rayner appears blindsided as Starmer launches Labour reshuffle during speech". The Independent. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  18. ^ Yorke, Harry (29 November 2021). "New rift at top of Labour as Angela Rayner blindsided by Sir Keir Starmer's reshuffle". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Lisa Nandy denies Keir Starmer humiliated Angela Rayner with timing of reshuffle". The Independent. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Angela Rayner sacked as Labour chair after Hartlepool byelection loss". The Guardian. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  21. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (8 May 2021). "Angela Rayner sacked as Labour Party chair and national campaign coordinator". LabourList.
  22. ^ Kate Proctor; Adam Payne (29 November 2021). "Yvette Cooper Makes Labour Frontbench Comeback After Keir Starmer Reshuffles Top Team". PoliticsHome.
  23. ^ Jon Craig (29 November 2021). "Labour reshuffle: Yvette Cooper's big comeback is sure to shorten her odds of winning party's top job in future". Sky News.
  24. ^ "Labour reshuffle: David Lammy promoted to shadow foreign secretary". LBC. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  25. ^ "David Lammy hits out against trolls criticising his 'second job'". LBC. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  26. ^ Obese-Jecty, Ben (30 November 2021). "Promoting narcissistic David Lammy was a big mistake". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  27. ^ Heather Stewart; Aubrey Allegretti (29 November 2021). "Cooper, Lammy and Nandy among beneficiaries of Starmer's ruthless reshuffle". The Guardian.
  28. ^ Jim Pickard (29 November 2021). "Nandy to face Gove on 'levelling up' after Labour front bench shake-up". Financial Times.
  29. ^ Glaze, Ben; Crerar, Pippa; Adu, Aletha; Abbit, Beth (29 November 2021). "Wigan MP Lisa Nandy to take on Michael Gove in new 'levelling up' role following Labour reshuffle". Manchester Evening News.
  30. ^ "Yorkshire MPs Yvette Cooper and Ed Miliband handed new shadow front bench jobs in Labour reshuffle". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Ed Miliband praised for passionate climate change speech on Newsnight". www.indy100.com. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  32. ^ Rea, Ailbhe (28 September 2021). "Everyone is falling out with Ed Miliband". New Statesman.
  33. ^ "Labour reshuffle: Starmer aims to combine experience and youth". BBC News. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  34. ^ Robert Peston (29 November 2021). "Peston: Keir Starmer chooses the Labour team he actually rates". ITV News.
  35. ^ Stephen Bush (29 November 2021). "Keir Starmer's new-look Shadow Cabinet is less than the sum of its parts". New Statesman.
  36. ^ John McDonnell [@johnmcdonnellMP] (29 November 2021). "Reviving the careers of former Blairite ministers & simply reappointing existing Shadow Cabinet ministers to new posts does give the impression of Christmas Past not Christmas Future" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Diver, Tony (1 December 2021). "Sir Keir Starmer's reshuffle 'has boosted Labour' ahead of Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  38. ^ "Old Bexley and Sidcup: Tories hold safe London seat at by-election". BBC News. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
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