Liz Kendall has been appointed as the secretary of state for work and pensions in Keir Starmer’s government.
She was first elected as the Labour MP for Leicester West in May 2020 and held the role of shadow secretary of state for work and pensions in Starmer’s shadow cabinet.
Posting on social media site ‘X’ following the news of her appointment, Kendall said: “People have voted for change and we are determined to deliver our plans to get Britain working, tackle poverty and provide security in retirement … in every corner of our great nation.”
Yesterday (July 8), newly-elected chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a series of measures to boost the UK's economic growth, including reforms to the planning system and a commitment to use the pension system to drive investment.
Reeves suggested she would stick to her predecessor Jeremy Hunt's plans to encourage pension schemes to invest in UK equities.
She said: "We will turn our attention to the pensions system to drive investment in homegrown British business and to deliver greater returns for pension savers."
During the election campaign, Labour pledged to review the pensions landscape, while also confirming it would not U-turn on the Tory’s decision to scrap the lifetime allowance.
It was also announced yesterday that former pensions minister Stephen Timms was returning to the DWP as a minister.
It has not yet been announced who will take on the role as pensions minister in the PM’s cabinet.
alina.khan@ft.com
