Image credit: 10 Downing Street
I’m Dan, a freelance small business journalist and event/podcast host with 20+ years of experience. If you’re looking for small business-focused content or an engaging event host, I’d love to help. Get in touch.
Keir Starmer is reshuffling his Cabinet and junior ministers. The action follows the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty.
Several roles have changed in the major reshuffle, although Rachel Reeves, who delivers the government’s Autumn Budget on 26 November, remains in her role as chancellor.
Click here to see all the appointments and read below for the key impact of the reshuffle on small businesses.
What the reshuffle changes means for small businesses:
For small business owners, there are several changes of interest.
Gareth Thomas MP, who led on designing the government’s recently released small business plan, has lost his role as small business minister and is leaving government.
He will likely be replaced by Blair McDougall MP or Kate Dearden MP, who have both been appointed as a parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Exact ministerial responsibilities have yet to be confirmed.
Also appointed to DBT as a parliamentary under-secretary of state are Liz Lloyd (a joint role with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) and Chris McDonald MP (a joint role with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero).
Peter Kyle, who was previously science and technology secretary, is the new business secretary. He replaces Jonathan Reynolds, who is now chief whip of the House of Commons and parliamentary secretary to the Treasury.
According to Sky News, Kyle met business groups and big business bosses on Saturday and said he wanted to deliver an “ambitious” growth agenda and help create the UK’s first trillion-dollar company.
He expressed a desire to make the UK the best place in the world for start-up and scale-up businesses, and place a greater focus on risk-taking.
Sky News also reported that Kyle said that “the overlap between the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, where he was previously the secretary of state, meant he would seek to deploy the resources of the British Business Bank to fuel economic growth.”
Another key small business-related appointment is the arrival in government of entrepreneur, investor, ex-Simply Business CEO and Grimsby Town co-owner Jason Stockwood as investment minister. His appointment has been welcomed by many on my post about it on LinkedIn.
Stockwood, whose other business roles include managing director of dating website Match.com and founder of 53 Degrees Capital, grew up in Grimsby and has described himself as “a council estate kid”.
He was Labour’s candidate in the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election in May.
Ahead of the vote, which he lost to Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns, Stockwood told the BBC: “I grew up in Grimsby on a council estate in a single-parent home. I’m not a career politician. My first jobs were on the docks, in a call centre, and as a waiter.
“Through hard work, I built a successful career as a businessman, creating thousands of jobs and investing in our local communities. One of the things that I’m most proud of is becoming a co-owner of my boyhood football club, Grimsby Town FC.”
Stockwood is one of several entrepreneurs working with the government. Others include Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones as Small Business Commissioner and technology entrepreneur Alex Depledge as entrepreneurship advisor to the Treasury.
In the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch and Feryal Clark MP have lost their roles as minister for tech and future digital economy and minister for AI and digital government respectively.
One of those newly appointed to the department and getting his first minister role is Kanishka Narayan MP (exact portfolio has yet to be confirmed).
He has a business and technology background having advised big businesses and and tech start-up entrepreneurs while working at financial advisory firm Lazard. After that Narayan studied for an MBA at Stanford University, while working as an investor for venture capital firm Atomico in the UK, Europe and Silicon Valley.
In Vale of Glamorgan, the constituency he represents, he has launched All Hands On Tech. The initiative promises to create 1,000 digital technology jobs in the area by 2030. It also delivers mentoring and other support to local small business owners.
Employment rights minister Justin Madders has left the government. Downing Street has not announced it but he said he has been fired in a post on X. It is not yet clear who has replaced him but Sir Chris Bryant has become a minister in the Department for Business and Trade so it is likely to be him.
An article in the Guardian said the “reshuffle…raises fears over future of Labour’s workers’ rights bill”. Justin Madders and Angela Rayner were the key figures who helped design the controversial Employment Rights Bill.
“Peter Kyle, a close ally of Starmer, was promoted to lead the business department on Friday, meaning he will oversee the employment rights brief”, the newspaper said. “Allies of Rayner who remain in government believe a fight is looming over workers’ rights. With Rayner and Madders gone, they believe Kyle has the ability to water down the bill – a package they feel many from the centre of the party were never comfortable with.”
The Employment Rights Bill has been strongly criticised by many business groups which say it will add significant new burdens on businesses.
But sharing the Guardian article on X, Madders said: “Let’s hope these fears are unfounded because it would be really, really foolish for the Government to row back on key manifesto commitments that are popular with the public and will show what a positive difference a Labour Government can make.”
Sir Chris Bryant previously had a dual role of minister for data protection and telecoms and minister for creative industries, arts and tourism.
Full responsibilities of the new ministers have yet to be confirmed but it appears that Ian Murray has taken over that role.
Here are all the appointments. I’m keeping this list updated as appointments are announced:
Cabinet ministers:
- Business secretary: Peter Kyle MP
- Science and technology secretary: Liz Kendall MP
- Deputy PM and justice secretary: David Lammy MP
- Foreign secretary: Yvette Cooper MP
- Home secretary: Shabana Mahmood MP
- Parliamentary secretary to the Treasury (chief whip): Jonathan Reynolds MP
- Environment secretary: Emma Reynolds MP
- Housing secretary: Steve Reed MP
- Work and pensions secretary: Pat McFadden MP (in charge of new ‘super ministry’, which includes the skills remit from the Department for Education)
- Scotland secretary: Douglas Alexander MP
- Leader of the House of Commons: Sir Alan Campbell MP
Ministers of state and junior ministers:
- Minister for investment: Jason Stockwood, entrepreneur, investor, Grimsby Town co-owner and ex-Simply Business CEO (receives a life peerage)
- Cabinet Office minister: Dan Jarvis MP
- Minister for skills in the Department for Work and Pensions: Baroness Jacqui Smith (remains minister for skills and minister for women and equalities in the Department for Education)
- Minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Lord Vallance (remains a minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
- Minister in the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Michael Shanks MP
- Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Alison McGovern MP
- Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Dame Angela Eagle MP
- Minister in the Department for Work and Pensions: Dame Diana Johnson MP
- Minister in the Home Department: Sarah Jones MP
- Minister in the Cabinet Office (minister without portfolio) and Labour Party chair: Anna Turley MP (will attend Cabinet)
- Minister in the Home Department: Alex Norris MP
- Minister in the Department for Business and Trade: Sir Chris Bryant MP
- Minister in the Ministry of Defence: Luke Pollard MP
- Minister in the Department for Education: Georgia Gould MP
- Solicitor general: Ellie Reeves MP
- Economic secretary to the Treasury: Lucy Rigby MP
- Minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Ian Murray MP
- Parliamentary secretary in the Cabinet Office: Chris Ward MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.: Seema Malhotra MP: remains as minister for equalities in the Department for Education.
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Home Department: Mike Tapp MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence: Louise Jones MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice: Baroness Levitt KC
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Miatta Fahnbulleh MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Samantha Dixon MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department of Health and Social Care: Dr Zubir Ahmed MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Chris Elmore MP
- Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office: Satvir Kaur MP (Satvir Kaur is currently on maternity leave. Josh Simons MP will do the role as maternity cover).
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Education: Josh MacAlister OBE MP
- Minister for equalities in the Department for Education: Olivia Bailey MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Business and Trade: Blair McDougall MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Business and Trade: Kate Dearden MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Kanishka Narayan MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Wales Office: Anna McMorrin MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Northern Ireland Office: Matthew Patrick MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Katie White OBE MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Martin McCluskey MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Transport: Keir Mather MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice and assistant whip, House of Commons: Jake Richards MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Michael Shanks MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade: Chris McDonald MP
- Parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade: Liz Lloyd CBE (receives a life peerage)
Leaving the government
The following have left their government roles, either through resignation or firing:
- Gareth Thomas MP (previously small business minister)
- Angela Rayner MP (previously deputy prime minister and housing secretary)
- Lucy Powell MP (previously leader of the House of Commons)
- Baroness Gustafsson CBE (previously minister for investment)
- Jim McMahon MP (previously local government and English devolution minister)
- Daniel Zeichner MP (previously minister for farming)
- Maria Eagle MP (previously minister for defence procurement and industry)
- Catherine McKinnell MP (previously minister for school standards)
- Abena Oppong-Asare MP (previously parliamentary secretary at the Cabinet Office)
- Catherine West MP (previously Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office minister)
- Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (previously justice minister)
- Lord Khan of Burnley (previously minister for faith)
- Justin Madders MP (previously employment rights minister)
- Janet Daby MP (previously minister for children and families)
- Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (previously minister for tech and future digital economy)
- Feryal Clark MP (previously cyber security minister and minister for AI and digital government)
- Fleur Anderson MP (previously Northern Ireland Office minister)
- Dame Nia Griffith DBE MP (previously parliamentary under-secretary of state for Wales)
- Mike Kane MP (previously maritime minister)
- Kerry McCarthy MP (previously minister for climate)
- Jeff Smith MP (previously junior lord of the Treasury – government whip)
- Gerald Jones MP (previously assistant whip, House of Commons)
I’m Dan, a freelance small business journalist and event/podcast host with 20+ years of experience. If you’re looking for small business-focused content or an engaging event host, I’d love to help. Get in touch.
Dan Martin 