With the next General Election moving closer, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer has used his recent reshuffle to set out a shadow cabinet that is bursting with talent.
His top team looks like a government in waiting and a stark contrast to the tired, divided and out-of-touch cabinet led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
I warmly welcome Angela Rayner to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (LUHC).
Angela has seen first hand the value of local services and the impact of austerity with her background as a care worker and as a convenor for UNISON, and has long been an ally to Labour local government. At the most recent TUC conference in Liverpool, she committed Labour to introducing a bill to ban zero-hours contracts and repeal anti-strike laws within 100 days of a new government.
This would be a transformative change in workers’ rights, affecting those who are looking after the most vulnerable residents in our communities.
Matthew Pennycook, Sarah Owen, and Paula Barker will continue their great work after being reappointed to the shadow LUHC team. I look forward to them continuing to offer ambitious housebuilding policies such as the return of local housing targets and a rapid acceleration of the building of social housing.
The arrival of some familiar local government faces is exciting, with LGA Vice-Presidents Mike Amesbury and Florence Eshalomi offering their skills and experience as Shadow Minister for Building Safety and Homelessness, and Shadow Minister for Democracy, respectively.
These appointments reflect Labour’s commitment to empowering local government.
“Labour’s five missions will build wealth from the community up and reduce inequalities”
At a time when the country is crying out for change, it is clear that Starmer is laser-focused on making the case to the British people as to why the Labour Party should form the next government.