Liz Kendall has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, taking up the role after 14 months of serving as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
The Member of Parliament for Leicester West replaces Peter Kyle, who has now taken up the role of Secretary of State for Business and Trade as part of a major cabinet reshuffle.
This comes after the departures of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Commons leader Lucy Powell and Investment Minister Baroness Poppy Gustafsson.
The ministerial reshuffle from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was triggered by the resignation of his deputy Rayner over her failure to pay £40,000 of stamp duty when purchasing a flat in Hove.
Grimby Town co-owner Jason Stockwood has joined as Minister for Investment, Lord Patrick Vallance and Michael Shanks as Ministers of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Dame Angela Eagle as Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern has also been appointed as Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions, while David Lammy has moved from Foreign Secretary to Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.
Kendall was first elected as MP for Leicester West back in 2010 and has since held several key positions in the Labour camp, including as shadow junior health minister between 2011-2015 as well as sitting on committees including the Education Committee, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee and the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
She has served as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since Labour and Starmer’s ascension into power.
Former Cabinet enforcer Pat McFadden has now taken over from Kendall in the role.
“I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be here and to have been given the opportunity and honour to work with all of you,” said Kendall.
“I know from my good friend Peter Kyle, your former secretary of state, the incredible potential here, your huge determination to change people’s lives for the better and I really believe this department can help build the future for people in every part of the country, no matter their background, and who could possibly want a better job than that?”
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