Indian President Modi will meet Vladimir Putin during a two-day visit to Russia starting Monday, the Kremlin said.

LONDON: As Labour is set to become the largest party in the British parliament, here are the contenders for the most senior ministerial posts.

Angela Rayner, 44, is an outlier in a country long dominated by a ruling class largely educated in private schools and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

She grew up in social housing in the north of England, left school without qualifications and became a single mother at 16.

A trade unionist before being elected to Parliament in 2015, she was elected number two in the Labour Party in 2020.

His left-wing background and direct style, with a strong northern accent, contrast with Starmer’s more composed public persona.

“He softens my imperfections. I bring him out of his shell,” she said of their partnership.

As well as being deputy prime minister – standing in for Starmer at weekly parliamentary questions when he cannot attend – Rayner would be responsible for housing policy and tackling regional inequality.

The former Bank of England economist is set to become the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, living next door to Starmer at 11 Downing Street.

Rachel Reeves, 45, said the prospect would shatter “the last glass ceiling in politics”.

A central figure in Labour’s efforts over the past four years to regain the electorate’s trust on economic issues, she insists it is now “the natural party of British business”.

Taking advantage of her reputation for economic expertise, Londoner Reeves, whose younger sister is also an MP, has promised “iron discipline” in public finances.

The former chess champion, who has been a member of parliament since 2010, has pledged to be both “pro-worker” and “pro-business” in her role overseeing public finances.

David Lammy, 51, a black lawmaker descended from slaves, has honed his vision of British diplomacy with dozens of foreign trips over the past two years.

He argued that the Foreign Office needed to “rediscover the art of grand strategy” in the post-Brexit era.

Lammy, an MP since the age of 27 in 2000, is likely to lead Britain towards closer ties with the EU – a difficult task with Brussels and reluctant eurosceptic Britons.

He will also likely face pressure from Labour’s left wing on issues such as his policy towards Israel and his war against Hamas in Gaza.

A friend of former US President Barack Obama, Lammy may also have to deal with the possible return to the White House of Donald Trump.

He once described Trump as a “neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath” and a “profound threat to the international order.”

Yvette Cooper’s decades of political experience will undoubtedly be put to the test as she heads the Home Office – a notoriously difficult government department to manage.

An MP since the late 1990s and a minister in the 2000s, Cooper, 55, served twice as Labor’s home affairs spokesman during his 14 years in opposition.

A candidate for party leadership in 2015, she is credited with her mastery of politics and details as well as her excellent communication skills.

Immigration, a major campaign issue and a potential weak point for Labour, is likely to dominate much of the public debate around his record.

A fresh-faced Labour centrist, Streeting was one of Labour’s most visible figures during the election campaign.

Considered one of the party’s best communicators, the 41-year-old from a working-class background in east London is seen as a potential future leader.

But first he will have to prove himself in one of the toughest jobs in British government, tasked with reversing the decline of the country’s beloved but struggling National Health Service (NHS).

Burdened by years of austerity under the Conservatives and still struggling to recover from the pandemic, Streeting, a cancer survivor, will draw partly on his own experience of the system.

Party veteran Healey is set to become defence secretary as the policy area gains importance given the war in Ukraine and growing insecurity around the world.

The 64-year-old, who first became an MP in 1997 when Tony Blair won power for Labour, held a series of government posts during the party’s 13 years in power.

Labour has pledged to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP (from 2.3% this year) “as soon as” economic conditions allow.