Labour’s David Lammy aims for UK foreign policy reset, Rachel Reeves becomes first female chancellor, as PM Starmer appoints cabinet
- Reeves is the first woman put in charge of the country’s finances, with the job and title – Chancellor of the Exchequer – dating back to the 16th century
Labour’s David Lammy becomes Britain’s next foreign secretary pledging to reset relations with the European Union and push for a ceasefire in Gaza, while seeking to build ties with Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
The centre-left Labour Party led by new Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a landslide victory in Thursday’s parliamentary election, ending 14 years of Conservative government and vowing to bring change to Britain.
While the six initial priorities promised in its election manifesto focused on domestic matters, a long list of international issues awaits Lammy in his in-tray.
Labour has said long-term peace and security in the Middle East would be an immediate focus. It has committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution.
Lammy, 51, appointed to his new role by Starmer on Friday, travelled widely before the election, particularly to the United States, where he has been working to build ties with Republicans, after once writing in Time magazine that Trump was a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi sociopath”.
