Sir Keir Starmer’s government has begun work on its first full day in power, following a landslide victory, which upended 14 years of Conservative rule.
From inside 10 Downing Street on Saturday morning, Sir Keir welcomed his new top team and said: “We have a huge amount of work to do, so now we get on with our work.”
In his first speech as prime minister he’d pledged to start work “immediately” to “rebuild Britain”.
A news conference setting out the PM’s priorities is expected later and a slew of junior ministers will also be appointed over the weekend, now the biggest jobs have been allocated.
A key focus will be the NHS, which Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has declared is “broken”. In his first statement in the role, he said patients were “being failed on a daily basis”.
The Cabinet, which was announced on Friday, saw the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, appointed; alongside Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Although less ethnically diverse than the previous Tory top table, the Cabinet is roughly reflective of the UK as a whole, with 12% minority ethnic members including Mr Lammy.
The inner circle contains 50% women, headed up by Ms Reeves and deputy PM and Levelling Up Secretary Angela Rayner, and 12% LGBT members, including Mr Streeting.
This meeting is expected to focus on economic stability, setting up the new green investment firm GB Energy, and cutting NHS waiting lists.
Ditching the Rwanda scheme in favour of a new plan to tackle illegal immigration will also be on the agenda, as well as overflowing prisons, and the junior doctor strikes.
A flight to Rwanda was scheduled for later this month, but Labour wants to redirect the scheme’s money towards a Border Security Command, although questions still remain over whether the Illegal Migration Act will be repealed.
Mr Streeting arriving for the meeting at 10 Downing Street told reporters assembled in the street “we’re getting straight to work” as he walked in, closely followed by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the new government had “a lot to get on with”.
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