After a ceremonial “kissing of hands” with King Charles III, Labour Leader Keir Starmer has become prime minister and can form a majority government.
Starmer has led Labour to a landslide election victory, and becomes the first leader from the center-left party to win a U.K. national election since Tony Blair, who won three in a row starting in 1997.
Top jobs in Starmer’s new Cabinet announced
Several other top jobs in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new Cabinet have just been announced.
David Lammy has been appointed the foreign secretary, while Yvette Cooper is the home secretary looking after key issues including immigration and policing.
John Healey was named the defense secretary.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster — the most senior minister in the Cabinet after the prime minister.
Rachel Reeves appointed as the first female Treasury chief
Rachel Reeves has been appointed Treasury chief in Britain’s new Labour government, the first woman to hold the job.
Reeves was put in charge of the country’s finances on Friday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. She gets a job and title, Chancellor of the Exchequer, that dates to the 16th century.
The former Bank of England economist faces the daunting task of delivering Labour’s promise to get the economy growing and invest in public services while working with a large national debt.
“I know that the road ahead will not be easy. There are no quick fixes and the hard choices lie ahead,” she said Friday.
Starmer is appointing his Cabinet on Friday after winning a landslide election victory.