'Huge honour': Yvette Cooper takes over as Britain's top diplomat after Labour cabinet shake-up
West Yorkshire MP Yvette Cooper has been named as Britain’s top diplomat in a Cabinet shake-up after Angela Rayner resigned from the Government for breaching the ministerial code.
Ms Rayner quit as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader following an official probe into her admission that she did not pay enough stamp duty on a seaside home she bought earlier this year.
Her sudden resignation prompted the first major reshuffle of Sir Keir’s premiership, in which he sacked two ministers, promoted two and moved 10 into different roles.
Yvette Cooper, Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley MP, has moved from her brief at the Home Office to take over David Lammy’s former job as foreign secretary.
I look forward to representing and promoting British interests around the world
He has now been appointed deputy Prime Minister and moved into a new role as justice secretary while Shabana Mahmood, formerly the justice secretary, is the new home secretary.
Posting about her new appointment on social media Ms Cooper said: “It is a huge honour to serve as UK Foreign Secretary.
“From Russian aggression in Europe to the horrendous famine and conflict in Gaza - when UK diplomacy has never been more important.
“I look forward to representing and promoting British interests around the world.”
With Leeds West and Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves remaining in post as Chancellor, the appointment of Ms Mahmood and Ms Cooper to their new roles mean that for the first time in history the three so-called “great offices of state” are all filled by women.
Sources within Downing Street suggested the Government had been refreshed and reinvigorated by the reshuffle, and would focus on making people feel better off, protecting the UK’s borders, and reforming and renewing public services.
The Government has been given a new “sense of purpose” by the shake-up, a source said.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones, has rejected suggestions this morning Yvette Cooper had been moved out of the Home Office because she was failing to get a grip on immigration.
Asked whether this was the reason she had been moved to the Foreign Office, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told Sky News: “No, not at all.”
He said Ms Cooper had achieved a “huge diplomatic win” in securing the returns deal with France and would be “brilliant” as Foreign Secretary.