A senior minister has rejected claims the UK Government is in turmoil after Angela Rayner’s resignation over unpaid stamp duty triggered a major Cabinet reshuffle.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones insisted that Sir Keir Starmer now has the “strongest team” in place following the departure of his deputy, who quit for breaching the ministerial code.
Jones also ruled out the possibility of an early election, despite opposition claims that the upheaval could expose Labour divisions and weaken the Prime Minister’s authority. A wider junior ministerial reshuffle is expected over the weekend as Starmer seeks to steady his government.
Speaking on Saturday, Jones dismissed suggestions that the Cabinet reshuffle could derail Starmer’s “phase two” reset of government priorities. He told BBC Breakfast: “Because of the former deputy prime minister’s resignation, the Prime Minister decided it was the decisive thing to do, to bring (the reshuffle) forward and to get it done on Friday, then to be able to move forward with the strongest team that we have around the Cabinet now leading on delivering the public’s priorities.”
Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader after an independent investigation found she had underpaid stamp duty on a flat purchase earlier this year. Ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus said she had acted in “good faith”, but confirmed that her failure to settle her full liability constituted a breach of the ministerial code.
Her exit prompted Starmer’s first major Cabinet reshuffle, with two ministers sacked, two promoted, and ten moved into new roles. Former foreign secretary David Lammy has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, while Shabana Mahmood becomes Home Secretary.
Rayner’s departure has raised questions about Labour’s internal balance, with her popularity among grassroots members seen as a bridge between Downing Street and the wider party. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed her resignation would open up splits, but Jones dismissed this, telling Sky News: “Nigel Farage is wrong there. The Labour Party is not going to split and there won’t be an early election.”
It remains unclear whether Rayner will take severance pay, but Jones said this would be “a decision personally for her, as opposed to the Prime Minister”. Labour is due to introduce new rules from October preventing ministers who commit a “serious breach” of the code from receiving payouts.
