The King told Sir Keir Starmer he “must be exhausted” and “nearly on your knees” during a private audience with the new Prime Minister on Friday (5 July).
Thereafter, he named his centre-left Labour Party’s list of new cabinet members.
- Angela Rayner – Deputy Prime Minister
- Rachel Reeves – Chancellor
- David Lammy – Foreign Secretary
- Yvette Cooper – Home Secretary
- Pat McFadden– Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Shabana Mahmood – Justice Secretary
- Wes Streeting – Health Secretary
- Bridget Phillipson – Education Secretary
- Ed Miliband – Energy Secretary
- Peter Kyle – Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary
- Louise Haigh – Transport Secretary
- Liz Kendall – Work and Pensions Secretary
- Jonathan Reynolds – Business and Trade Secretary
- John Healey – Defence Secretary
- Steve Reed – Environment Secretary
- Lisa Nandy – Culture, Media and Sport Secretary
- Hilary Benn – Northern Ireland Secretary
- Ian Murray – Scotland Secretary
- Jo Stevens – Wales Secretary
Shabana is the first female Muslim Minister on board, and she has often spoken about how important her faith has been in her career.
Shabana Mahmood has been appointed as the new Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, taking the place of Alex Chalk, who was appointed the title on June 21 by ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Ms Mahmood is the MP for Birmingham Ladywood and is a barrister who has been an MP since 2010.
The cabinet announcement followed Friday morning, after King Charles III invited Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, to form a government and become Prime Minister following the party’s historic showing in the UK’s July 4 general elections.
Sir Keir and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer were welcomed at Buckingham Palace for a private audience with the monarch following Labour’s historic victory in the general election.
They were greeted at the King’s Door by Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen, and Commander William Thornton, Royal Navy, equerry to the King.
Sir Keir later had a private audience with the King who invited him to form a new administration.
Starmer joined the king in his sitting room in Buckingham Palace and officially assumed the premiership following the ceremonial head bow and handshake.
After leaving the palace, Starmer delivered an address to the nation outside at 10 Downing Street before entering the government office to begin his work.
“I have just returned from Buckingham Palace, where I accepted an invitation from His Majesty the King to form the next government of this great nation,” Starmer said. He also thanked his predecessor Rishi Sunak, who also resigned as leader of the Conservative Party following the electoral defeat. “His achievement as the first British-Asian prime minister of our country, the extra effort that that will have required should not be underestimated by anyone. And we pay tribute to that today.”
Starmer is the third Prime Minister since Charles’s reign began in September 2022. Queen Elizabeth II died during a tumultuous time in British politics, following the resignation of Boris Johnson and days into the short tenure of Liz Truss. Following her death, Truss resigned amid backlash over economic policies, and she was replaced by Sunak after ruling for 44 days.
Though the royals try to remain politically neutral, the king has a constitutional role which includes participating in the handover from one government to another. After Sunak announced the elections on May 24, the palace said that Charles and Prince William would both change their schedules to avoid overshadowing the election as it unfolded.
Though the royals shortened their annual Holyrood Week celebrating the monarchy in Scotland and didn’t undertake any public engagement on Thursday, they did share messages of support for Caribbean communities affected by Hurricane Beryl. The king announced that he made a personal donation to the Red Cross to assist in disaster relief, as did William and Kate Middleton.
Newly-elected UK Prime Minister, KeIr Starmer, has made his first set of appointments into the cabinet, BBC reports Friday.
