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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is carrying out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet as the party prepares for the next general election, expected in 2024.

But who has won a promotion in the ranks? Who has been demoted to a lower position? And who is returning to the backbenchers after a stint in a top job?

We bring you all the moves below…

Politics live: Labour reshuffle news as Sunak’s in-tray stacks up

Promoted

The first of the big winners is deputy party leader Angela Rayner, having been formally appointed as the shadow deputy prime minister, solidifying herself in the role if Labour wins the next election. She has also been named shadow levelling up secretary – giving her a departmental brief to get her teeth into.

A Labour source also said she would remain the “strategic lead on Labour’s new deal for working people”.

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Another rise in the ranks was announced with the news that Shabana Mahmood would take over as shadow justice secretary.

Sky News understands she is a key ally to Sir Keir and has been credited with helping transform the party and its campaign machine while acting as its national campaign co-ordinator.

Former leadership contender Liz Kendall has also received a vote in confidence with a big promotion – going from a junior shadow health minister to shadow work and pensions secretary.

Another leap to a full departmental brief was given to Thangam Debbonaire, who has gone from a more obscure role as shadow leader of the Commons to shadow secretary for culture, media and sport.

Pics: PA/Rita Franca/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
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Liz Kendall and Darren Jones are among those Labour MPs getting promoted today. Pics: PA/Rita Franca/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Pat McFadden had been a senior player in the Treasury team, having held the role of shadow chief secretary to the Treasury.

But now he will take over as the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – a strange title in the Cabinet Office, previously held by Ms Rayner – and as the national campaign co-ordinator.

Perhaps more of a sideways shift than a full-on promotion was gained by Peter Kyle. Having been shadow Northern Ireland secretary, he already held a key role – with ongoing issues at Stormont and continued fallout from Brexit.

He will now take on the shadow science, innovation and technology post – a key part of policy going forward when it comes to jobs and growth.

However, Darren Jones has definitely been promoted as a new member of the shadow cabinet.

He won plaudits as the chair of the business select committee – especially when it came to questioning prominent ministers – and the strong communicator now takes on the role of shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, with the hope he will aid Labour’s economic credibility in the coming months.

Another new entry to Sir Keir’s team, though a well-known name from the past, is Hilary Benn, who comes in as shadow Northern Ireland secretary.

He held multiple government roles in the Blair and Brown years – including environment secretary – and numerous shadow positions since, such as Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow foreign secretary. But he now returns after a seven-year absence from the frontbench.

A more minor promotion, but one all the same, is for Ellie Reeves. She had held a junior position as a shadow justice minister, but now adds deputy national campaign co-ordinator to her job title.

Demoted

One of the biggest casualties of the reshuffle was Lisa Nandy, who lost her position as shadow levelling up secretary to Ms Rayner.

She has been appointed as the shadow minister for international development – essentially the second in command to the shadow foreign secretary – and will keep her seat at the cabinet table.

But it is a lower position than being in charge of shadowing an entire department, and our deputy political editor Sam Coates understands it was a “pretty brutal” conversation between her and Sir Keir.

Less of a big hit was taken by Steve Reed, who has gone from shadow justice secretary to shadow environment secretary.

While the brief may traditionally have been seen as a lesser role, environmental issues often lead to key debates with voters, so it could still be a fruitful place for Mr Reed to make his mark.

One clear demotion was for Lucy Powell, losing her spot as shadow culture secretary. But again, she has been given the consolation prize of leader of the House.

Jonathan Ashworth and Lisa Nandy
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Jonathan Ashworth and Lisa Nandy lost roles – but were put elsewhere in the shadow cabinet

Meanwhile, Jonathan Ashworth has taken a hit, moving from shadow work and pensions secretary to the more obscure role of shadow paymaster general.

But Sky News understands he will stay as a full shadow cabinet member and will play a big role in the general election campaign.

Nick Thomas-Symonds also loses his post as shadow secretary for international trade, but again keeps his cabinet position as a shadow minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.

Gone

Kicking off proceedings today was the resignation of Jim McMahon, who quit his post as shadow environment secretary.

In his letter to Sir Keir, Mr McMahon said there was “still some way to go” in his recovery from a serious illness – reported in the Mirror earlier this year as an infection that led him to two weeks in hospital – and he wanted to resign “for the benefit of both my health and my family”.

The party leader thanked him for his service, and also revealed Mr McMahon had been subject to “abuse [and] violent threats” during his time in post.

Rosena Allin-Khan and Jim McMahon
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Rosena Allin-Khan and Jim McMahon are both heading to the backbenches

Another resignation came from Rosena Allin-Khan, who stepped down as the shadow minister for mental health.

Writing to Sir Keir, she revealed tensions, saying: “As discussed previously, and in our call earlier, you made clear that you do not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet, which is why I told you many weeks ago that I would not be able to continue in this role.”

But she thanked him for the opportunity and promised to fight for a Labour government from the backbenches.

Two other MPs have seen their roles removed and given to someone else – Fleur Anderson who was shadow paymaster general, and Preet Kaur Gill, who was shadow minister for international development.

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SEC says REX-Osprey staked SOL and ETH funds may not qualify as ETFs

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SEC says REX-Osprey staked SOL and ETH funds may not qualify as ETFs

SEC says REX-Osprey staked SOL and ETH funds may not qualify as ETFs

The SEC responded shortly after the issuers filed effective registration amendments for staked SOL and Ether exchange-traded funds.

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IMF raises concern over Pakistan’s Bitcoin mining power plan: report

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IMF raises concern over Pakistan’s Bitcoin mining power plan: report

IMF raises concern over Pakistan’s Bitcoin mining power plan: report

IMF questions Pakistan’s plan to allocate 2,000 megawatts of electricity for Bitcoin mining amid energy shortages and budget talks.

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‘No doubt’ UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence in next parliament, defence secretary says

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'No doubt' UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence in next parliament, defence secretary says

There is “no doubt” the UK “will spend 3% of our GDP on defence” in the next parliament, the defence secretary has said.

John Healey’s comments come ahead of the publication of the government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) on Monday.

This is an assessment of the state of the armed forces, the threats facing the UK, and the military transformation required to meet them.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously set out a “clear ambition” to raise defence spending to 3% in the next parliament “subject to economic and fiscal conditions”.

Mr Healey has now told The Times newspaper there is a “certain decade of rising defence spending” to come, adding that this commitment “allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.”

A government source insisted the defence secretary was “expressing an opinion, which is that he has full confidence that the government will be able to deliver on its ambition”, rather than making a new commitment.

The UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defence, with Sir Keir announcing plans to increase that to 2.5% by 2027 in February.

More on John Healey

This followed mounting pressure from the White House for European nations to do more to take on responsibility for their own security and the defence of Ukraine.

The 2.3% to 2.5% increase is being paid for by controversial cuts to the international aid budget, but there are big questions over where the funding for a 3% rise would be found, given the tight state of government finances.

While a commitment will help underpin the planning assumptions made in the SDR, there is of course no guarantee a Labour government would still be in power during the next parliament to have to fulfil that pledge.

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From March: How will the UK scale up defence?

A statement from the Ministry of Defence makes it clear that the official government position has not changed in line with the defence secretary’s comments.

The statement reads: “This government has announced the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the end of the Cold War – 2.5% by 2027 and 3% in the next parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow, including an extra £5bn this financial year.

“The SDR will rightly set the vision for how that uplift will be spent, including new capabilities to put us at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, investment in our people and making defence an engine for growth across the UK – making Britain more secure at home and strong abroad.”

Sir Keir commissioned the review shortly after taking office in July 2024. It is being led by Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and NATO secretary general.

The Ministry of Defence has already trailed a number of announcements as part of the review, including plans for a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command and a £1bn battlefield system known as the Digital Targeting Web, which we’re told will “better connect armed forces weapons systems and allow battlefield decisions for targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster”.

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PM Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey on a nuclear submarine. Pic: Crown Copyright 2025
Image:
PM Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey on a nuclear submarine earlier this year. Pic: Crown Copyright 2025

On Saturday, the defence secretary announced a £1.5bn investment to tackle damp, mould and make other improvements to poor quality military housing in a bid to improve recruitment and retention.

Mr Healey pledged to “turn round what has been a national scandal for decades”, with 8,000 military family homes currently unfit for habitation.

He said: “The Strategic Defence Review, in the broad, will recognise that the fact that the world is changing, threats are increasing.

“In this new era of threat, we need a new era for defence and so the Strategic Defence Review will be the vision and direction for the way that we’ve got to strengthen our armed forces to make us more secure at home, stronger abroad, but also learn the lessons from Ukraine as well.

“So an armed forces that can be more capable of innovation more quickly, stronger to deter the threats that we face and always with people at the heart of our forces… which is why the housing commitments that we make through this strategic defence review are so important for the future.”

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