Labour: Lisa Nandy to shadow Michael Gove on levelling up brief as Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle continues

Lisa Nandy will move from shadow foreign secretary to shadow levelling up secretary, Sky News understands, as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer continues a reshuffle of his cabinet.

Sky News also understands that Nick Thomas-Symonds is being demoted from his position as shadow home secretary, while Louise Haigh is moving from shadow Northern Ireland secretary to the transport brief.

It is also understood that Lucy Powell is transferring from shadow housing secretary to shadow culture secretary.

Officially confirmed moves so far have seen Jo Stevens moved from the digital, culture, media and sport brief to become shadow Wales secretary and Cat Smith departing as shadow minister for young people and democracy.

It has also been announced that shadow attorney general Lord Falconer is stepping down from Labour’s frontbench team.

Meanwhile, two sources have told Sky News that Kate Green has been dismissed as shadow education secretary.

The reshuffle comes six months after Sir Keir‘s last refresh of his shadow cabinet, in the wake of a mixed night for Labour in May’s elections across the UK.

Some have suggested the shake up came about quite abruptly.

Speaking earlier on Monday morning at an event in Westminster amid swirling reshuffle rumours, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “I don’t know the details of the reshuffle or the timing of it, I’ve been here concentrating on my role now.

“But six months ago I said again we need some consistency in how we’re approaching things as an opposition. I want us to see us as a government in waiting, I want us to do that job.”

Cat Smith

Sky’s political correspondent Kate McCann reported that Ms Rayner did get a call from Sir Keir on Monday morning to say she would keep her role, but was not given any detail or consulted about the reshuffle itself.

In a departing letter to Sir Keir, Lord Falconer said: “As we have discussed, I think the time has come for me to step back from the role of shadow attorney general.

“I was 70 last Friday and I will continue to work on the number of political areas that I have a personal interest in, including assisted dying and the wider constitutional issues facing the UK.

“I have throughout been a close adviser to you and will, as you have asked, continue to be so. I strongly supported your leadership of the Labour Party and will continue to do so.”

While announcing her departure from Sir Keir’s shadow cabinet, Ms Smith tweeted out a copy of a letter she had sent to the Labour leader, saying: “Although I am grateful for your offer to remain in my current brief, I have only been on the backbenches for four months in my six and a half years as an MP and I will instead be returning to the backbenches.”

Ms Smith warned Sir Keir of the “damage” being done by Jeremy Corbyn remaining suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Sir Keir’s previous reshuffle provoked controversy within the party when he sacked Ms Rayner as Labour Party chair.

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