Lammy replaced by Cooper as Foreign Secretary

David Lammy has been replaced as Foreign Secretary by former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in a major cabinet reshuffle.

In another surprise move Shabana Mahmood becomes the new Home Secretary.

Tottenham MP Lammy – who has been a divisive figure within the community for his stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and moves to recognise a Palestinian state – has been appointed Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.

In her role Home Secretary Cooper had proscribed the Palestine Action group, and had worked with police chief over incidents of antisemitism at pro-Palestine demos.

She has also been a regularly attendee at the Community Security Trust’s annual dinners, along with her husband Ed Balls.

Lammy had been scheduled to fly out to the Gulf imminently to meet senior officials in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  over the next few days to try to build a consensus around a framework for lasting peace in the region.

His role as Deputy PM will still offer Lammy the chance to use his diplomatic skills in meeting with senior figure officials.

Cooper will now also be handed a central role over the imminent move by the UK to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23.

But Cooper has received criticism of the failure to get a grip on the small boats crisis.

Her replacement in the home office, Shabana Mahmood has been impressive as Justice Secretary where she has been tackling a major prisons crisis.

A practicing Muslim, Mahmood is known for her tough stance on crime, and is from the same political wing of the party as Starmer.

She had been labelled “pro-Palestine” because of a photo from her younger days at a demo, but she is now seen as being one of the best performing ministers in the Starmer’s top team, and is even tipped as a future leader.

Mahmood has also worked closely,, and well with Justice Minister and Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman.

Starmer began the major reshuffle of his senior team, after Angela Rayner resigned from the Government for breaching the ministerial code when she did not pay enough stamp duty on a seaside home.

Lucy Powell and Ian Murray have also been sacked as leader of the House of Commons and Scotland secretary respectively.

Rayner resigned as deputy PM, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader after Sir Keir’s ethics adviser said she failed to “heed the caution” contained within legal advice she received when buying an £800,000 property in Hove.

Steve Reed will take over Rayner’s former role as Housing and Communities Secretary.

The outgoing deputy prime minister admitted she had underpaid stamp duty on the flat, and called for the ethics probe earlier this week.

Pat McFadden will also take over a new “super ministry” including the Department for Work and Pensions and the skills remit of the Department for Education, sources said.