Title

GENERAL ELECTION

Rayner named levelling up secretary

Angela Rayner has been named secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

© Number 10/Crown copyright

© Number 10/Crown copyright

Angela Rayner has been named secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities.

Hers was the first appointment to be confirmed by the new Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as he began forming his first cabinet following yesterday's landslide General Election victory.

Rayner, who will also hold the title of deputy prime minister, was widely expected to be appointed to the position in government having held the shadow role on the opposition benches.

She takes over from her Conservative counterpart Michael Gove, who decided not to stand for re-election.

Rachel Reeves has also been appointed as the country's first female chancellor and Yvette Cooper as home secretary.

Wes Streeting will take on the health and social care brief, and Bridget Phillipson has been named education secretary.

GENERAL ELECTION

'Fiscal devolution to be more likely with Burnham as PM'

By By Dan Peters | 24 June 2026

Fiscal devolution will ‘likely become more important’ with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister, experts have predicted.

GENERAL ELECTION

Burnham should devolve power just as he has finally seized it

By Simon Kaye | 22 June 2026

Simon Kaye looks at the three principal constraints on Andy Burnham’s approach, and says he expects fiscal devolution to become a major focus.

GENERAL ELECTION

O'Brien expected to be next chair of LGA

By Heather Jameson | 08 June 2026

Bury MBC leader Cllr Eamonn O’Brien is expected to take over as chair of the Local Government Association following the resignation of Cllr Louise Gittins.

GENERAL ELECTION

Building trust, capacity and accountability in England's strategic authorities

By Sandy Forsyth | 04 June 2026

To address the complexities in the evolution of strategic authorities, devolution needs to work beyond the traditional metro mayoral model, says Sandy Forsyth.

Martin Ford

Popular articles by Martin Ford