Familiar faces, but not all from politics: Meet the surprise Labour ministers | General Election 2024

When Labour’s leading figures joined 10 Downing Street on Friday to form Keir Starmer’s cabinet, there were few surprises. But since then, there have been some surprises among the new ministers, several of whom are not MPs and will only take up their posts after being knighted. So who are the most notable new members of the prime minister’s team?

Richard Hermer KC, Attorney General

Hermer’s appointment was arguably Starmer’s most surprising move, as Emily Thornberry had held the role since 2021.

A human rights lawyer at Matrix Chambers, Hermer, 56, has represented Afghan families at a public inquiry into the killing of 80 civilians by the SAS, and acted in inquiries raising systemic failings in the prison system.

But it is his position on the Gaza conflict that will be closely scrutinized. Hermer has made it clear that it is “almost impossible to conceive” how an Israeli siege that deprives civilians of food and water could be consistent with international law.

He was one of several prominent Jewish lawyers to call for Israel to comply with the law in its response to the Hamas attacks on October 7. Harmer warned Labour that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Bill, designed to ban public bodies from boycotting Israel and other countries, would have “a profoundly damaging impact on the UK’s ability to protect and promote human rights abroad.”

Hermer was described by his colleague Matthew Ryder as “an exceptional lawyer who will bring to the role his experience, judgment and legal acumen.”

Sir Patrick Vallance, Minister of Science

Vallance is perhaps the most recognisable new face among Keir Starmer’s scapegoats (the government of all talents). He will take up the post of science minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, under Secretary of State Peter Kyle.

Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser from 2018 to 2023, became a household name during the Covid pandemic, appearing on televised briefings almost daily for a time.

At the Covid inquiry last November, Vallance, 64, argued that the lockdown should have come earlier and exposed Boris Johnson as having little knowledge of science. His appointment has drawn criticism from lockdown sceptics. Richard Tice, chair of Reform UK and the new MP for Boston and Skegness, said it was a “major conflict of interest and as such it was shameful”.

James Timpson, Minister for Prisons

The appointment of the rehabilitation campaigner and businessman – Timpson’s stores are best known for shoe repair, key cutting and dry cleaning – has sparked renewed interest and been welcomed by prison reformers.

More than 10% of Timpson’s workforce are ex-convicts, while the company has an “inside-out” management style where all 5,600 employees are in charge (it also offers workers a paid day off on their birthday and use of the company limousine on their wedding day).

Timpson, 52, has argued that only a third of prisoners should be in custody permanently, saying in a television interview earlier this year that “the UK is addicted to sentences and punishments”, and claiming that systems in countries such as the Netherlands that make greater use of community sentences have lower reoffending rates.

Responding to the news, the bestselling author known as Secret Barrister wrote on X: “This has the potential to be an absolutely incredible nomination. I have to sit down.”

Jacqui Smith, Minister for Higher Education

Smith is one of two former cabinet ministers under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to be appointed junior ministers by Starmer. The former home secretary, who was the first woman to hold the role, will join the House of Lords to become higher education minister – a role she first held 25 years ago.

In 2009, Smith became the first minister to resign directly over the expenses scandal after it was revealed that she had claimed expenses for a pornographic film apparently seen by her husband, and had listed her sister’s property in London as her main residence, instead of her family home in Redditch.

After losing her seat in the 2010 election, she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and co-hosted a political podcast with Conservative presenter Iain Dale. She has served as chair of University Hospitals Birmingham Trust and, since 2021, chair of Barts Health Trust in London.

Smith, 61, has also forged a career in public affairs, joining Westbourne Communications in 2015 and Higginson Strategy in 2019 as chair of its new women’s practice, Empower.

Douglas Alexander, Minister of Commerce

The former Scottish Secretary of State, who returned to parliament on Friday, was appointed Trade Secretary by Starmer within hours. He has been MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South since 1997, having been defeated by the SNP’s Mhairi Black, then just 20, in 2015.

Alexander has since pursued an academic career, working as a visiting professor at New York University and King’s College London. He has also worked alongside U2 frontman Bono to secure development investment to combat global poverty. The pair met through Bono’s advocacy work while Alexander, 56, was Secretary of State for International Development and Governor of the World Bank. In May last year, he accompanied Bono and his bandmate The Edge on a visit to Ukraine.