Fresh from the summer recess the Prime Minister was hoping that ‘Phase 2’ of his Government would usher in a period of stability and prosperity which would kick-start Labour’s ascension in the polls. However, Angela Rayner’s resignation gravely rocked Mr Starmer’s best intentions.
After months of speculation, the Prime Minister swerved his preference for a rumoured gentle reshuffle, using the resignation of his Deputy to boldly reset his team.
We are pleased that the Health Secretary and his ministers remain in place, with continuity necessary following the release of the NHS 10-Year Plan. Zubir Ahmed MP has been added to Mr Streeting’s team having served as the Secretary of State’s Parliamentary Secretary.
An extra body in the team, a very capable one at that — Mr Ahmed was a transplant and vascular surgeon before being elected — will provide a boost to the aforementioned plan’s chances of successful delivery.
Stability certainly wasn’t the buzzword in the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which saw sweeping changes to their ministerial team.
The long-serving and effective Peter Kyle MP was moved as Science, Innovation and Technology and replaced by Liz Kendall MP, the former Work and Pensions Secretary. Mr Kyle has been promoted to Business Secretary.
Ms Kendall advised Patricia Hewitt while she was Health Secretary in the Blair administration, and later became Director of the Ambulance Services Network. We hope this experience in health informs her new role.
A further casualty at DSIT was Feryal Clark MP, ex-Minister for AI, who has now left Government. Ian Murray MP was rewarded with a ministerial position at DSIT following outcry at his sacking as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Mr Murray has been joined by talented backbencher Kanishka Narayan MP. Science supremo Lord Vallance keeps his portfolio but has also become a minister in the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
Peter Kyle’s new domain, the Department of Business and Trade, has welcomed two new backbenchers: Blair McDougall and Kate Dearden, in addition to experienced MP, Chris Bryant.
Daniel Zeichner, the long-serving Chair of the APPG for Life Sciences until last year’s election, has left his position as a minister at DEFRA. A tremendous advocate for science, particularly in his constituency patch of Cambridge, the APPG secretariat looks forward to re-engaging with Mr Zeichner.
BIVDA are in the process of welcoming the new ministers to their positions and we hope to meet with them to discuss the importance of diagnostics to their brief in the coming months.
