After the overwhelming victory of the Labour Party in the UK election, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the new cabinet lineup on July 5th, with various ministers assuming their roles. One of the focal points of attention is the China policy of the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, David Lammy.
The new cabinet members include Angela Rayner, who has been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Levelling Up. Aged 44, Rayner has been serving as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party since April 2020, and her role as Minister for Levelling Up will grant her significant authority in housing and local government matters.
Rachel Reeves has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, becoming the first woman to hold this position in the UK, after serving as the Shadow Chancellor since May 2021.
Yvette Cooper is now the Home Secretary, having previously served as the Work and Pensions Minister during the Labour government from 2009 to 2010.
David Lammy, who has been the Shadow Foreign Secretary since 2021, has taken over as the Foreign Secretary. He has recently conducted several official visits to strengthen the Labour Party’s relations with global governments.
Pat McFadden has been appointed as the Minister for the Duchy of Lancaster, a ceremonial role, who served as the Labour Party’s National Campaign Coordinator during the election period.
John Healey, who has been the Shadow Defence Secretary since April 2020, has now officially been appointed as the Defence Secretary, and he will face challenges such as the conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
Shabana Mahmood, who has been the Shadow Justice Secretary since 2023, has assumed the position of Justice Secretary. Addressing the backlog of court cases and the issue of overloaded prisons is one of the top priorities for this government.
Wes Streeting has taken on the role of Health Secretary, overseeing health and social care affairs since 2021. Streeting has pledged to tackle the backlog issues within the National Health Service (NHS).
Ed Miliband has been appointed as the Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero Emissions, marking his return to the cabinet after 14 years. He previously led the Department for Energy and Climate Change under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Bridget Phillipson is the Education Secretary.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has vowed to comprehensively reform the UK’s relationship with its strongest strategic rival, China, within the first 100 days of taking office.
Last month, during a speech at Chatham House, Lammy announced the Labour Party’s plan to conduct a full review of the entire government departments to determine the direction and approach of their China policy.
In an essay outlining the “Progressive Realism” foreign policy vision published in April, Lammy emphasized the need for a more consistent strategy towards China, given the various policy shifts by the Conservative Party over the past 14 years.
According to Politico, Lammy is consulting think tanks to rebuild a range of issues such as UK-China trade, investment, and security.
Lammy stated that the Labour Party’s China policy will be guided by the “3C framework,” which involves competing on security issues, challenging on human rights concerns in Hong Kong and for the Uyghurs, and cooperating on areas like artificial intelligence.
There are multiple serious challenges facing UK-China relations. One pressing issue is whether the UK will follow allies such as the EU, the US, and Canada in launching a national subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles flooding Western markets. However, such actions could lead to retaliation from China, which is currently the UK’s sixth-largest export market.
During the election campaign, the Labour Party promised to promote economic growth in the UK. Former Chair of the China-Britain Business Council, Steven Lynch, warned that the new government must understand that engaging with China will involve significant trade-offs and considerations.