Angela Rayner’s return to frontline politics is a personal comeback and puts her at the centre of key policies.
Her reprise role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will mean that she will take the lead in implementing house buying reforms, announced by her predecessor Steve Reed in June.
And if there are private rent controls tested or introduced as part of a devolution package, she will have responsibility for that too.
On top of all those measures, the local government part of her brief will mean she has responsibility for council reorganisation proposals announced just last week, as well as being part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s large scale devolution pledges made during his leadership campaign.
Some 10 months ago Rayner resigned after underpaying £40,000 in stamp duty on a second home, breaching the ministerial code despite acting in good faith.
Rayner – who then served as the UK Deputy Prime Minister as well as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – resigned following revelations that she had underpaid stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in East Sussex, purchased in May last year.
Key positions in Burnham’s government:
- John Healey has been named Chancellor in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first Cabinet appointment;
- Ed Miliband has been appointed Foreign Secretary;
- Shabana Mahmood will remain Home Secretary;
- Wes Streeting has been confirmed as Defence Secretary;
- Louise Haigh has been named as First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for the Cabinet Office;
- Yvette Cooper has been appointed Health Secretary;
- Pat McFadden will remain as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions;
- Bridget Phillipson will remain a member of Cabinet as Minister for Women and Equalities in Andy Burnham’s Government, Downing Street has announced, but is no longer education secretary;
- Angela Rayner has been appointed Housing Secretary;
- Jonathan Reynolds has been appointed Business Secretary;
- Lucy Powell is the new Education Secretary;
- Anneliese Midgley has been appointed as Chief Whip;
- Lisa Nandy will remain as Culture Secretary;
- Alex Norris has been named as the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice;
- Dame Angela Eagle is the new Environment Secretary;
- Miatta Fahnbulleh has been appointed Energy Secretary;
- Hamish Falconer has been appointed as Minister of State (Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations);
- Douglas Alexander has been reappointed as Secretary of State for Scotland;
- Matthew Pennycook will remain as Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government;
- Alan Campbell will remain as Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons;
- Baroness Smith will remain as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords;
- Emma Reynolds has been appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury;
- Stephen Kinnock has been appointed as Secretary of State for Wales;
- Heidi Alexander has been reappointed as Secretary of State for Transport;
- Ellie Reeves has been appointed as Attorney General;
- Chris Bryant has been appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
