Next UK Defence Secretary in 2026?
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Douglas Alexander to remain Scottish Secretary as Burnham confirms cabinet
Er, the Cabinet reshuffle is over for tonight… and we don’t have a Defence secretary or a Justice secretary. • • The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments: • • Stephen Kinnock MP as Secretary of State for Wales. • Sir Chris Bryant MP as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. • Rt Hon Ellie Reeves KC MP as Attorney General. She will attend Cabinet. • Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. She will attend Cabinet. • Kanishka Narayan MP as Minister of State (Minister for Artificial Intelligence) jointly in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He will attend Cabinet. • Hamish Falconer MP as Minister of State (Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations) jointly in the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He will attend Cabinet. • Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP will remain as Secretary of State for Transport. • • Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP will remain as Secretary of State for Scotland. • • Rt Hon Sir Alan Campbell MP will remain as Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons. • • Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Basildon will remain as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. • • Matthew Pennycook MP will remain as Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He will attend Cabinet. • • Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC and Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP have left the Government. • • Notes to editors • • A strengthened Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will bring together the current DCMS remit with responsibility for digital foundations, digital transformation, digital inclusion and skills, information resilience and online harms. • • There will be no further appointments this evening.
Er, the Cabinet reshuffle is over for tonight… and we don’t have a Defence secretary or a Justice secretary. • • The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments: • • Stephen Kinnock MP as Secretary of State for Wales. • Sir Chris Bryant MP as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. • Rt Hon Ellie Reeves KC MP as Attorney General. She will attend Cabinet. • Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. She will attend Cabinet. • Kanishka Narayan MP as Minister of State (Minister for Artificial Intelligence) jointly in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He will attend Cabinet. • Hamish Falconer MP as Minister of State (Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations) jointly in the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He will attend Cabinet. • Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP will remain as Secretary of State for Transport. • • Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP will remain as Secretary of State for Scotland. • • Rt Hon Sir Alan Campbell MP will remain as Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons. • • Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Basildon will remain as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. • • Matthew Pennycook MP will remain as Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He will attend Cabinet. • • Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC and Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP have left the Government. • • Notes to editors • • A strengthened Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will bring together the current DCMS remit with responsibility for digital foundations, digital transformation, digital inclusion and skills, information resilience and online harms. • • There will be no further appointments this evening.
Heidi Alexander has been reappointed as Secretary of State for Transport @transportgovuk.
New: Andy Burnham has told NATO’s Mark Rutte that his decision to make John Healey his chancellor is a “signal of his intent” on defence • • Defence spending is clearly going to rise more rapidly, question is how will it be funded - senior officials have pointed to defence bonds
Cabinet appointments so far: • John Healey - Chancellor • Ed Miliband - Foreign • Shabana Mahmood - Home Secretary • Louise Haigh - First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office • Pat McFadden - Work and Pensions Secretary
This is a bit odd. • • Andy Burnham has just spoken to the NATO secretary general - but has not yet appointed a Defence secretary. • • A Downing Street spokeswoman said: • • "The Prime Minister spoke to the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, this evening. • • "The Prime Minister began by congratulating the Secretary General on the successful NATO summit held in Ankara earlier this month, and the strong signal of unity it sent to the world in such volatile times. • • "Updating on the appointment of the former Defence Secretary, John Healey, as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Prime Minister said the appointment was a signal of his intent. • • "The leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine, and the Secretary General welcomed the Prime Minister's strong statement of support for Ukraine earlier today. • • "Both leaders looked forward to speaking again soon." • • More at @GBNEWS..”
Yvette Cooper has been appointed as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care @dhscgovuk.
Al Arabiya correspondent Aroub Abdulhaq: Ministers close to Starmer resign as Andy Burnham takes over as Prime Minister... Former Defense Secretary John Healey arrives at Downing Street amid expectations of his return to his post.
Yvette Cooper moves to health & social care. Pat McFadden stays at DWP.
Live: Yvette Cooper appointed Health Secretary
Live: Pat McFadden continues in UK welfare brief
Live: Yvette Cooper becomes Health Secretary
Live: Yvette Cooper appointed health secretary
Live: Yvette Cooper becomes health secretary
LATEST: • • Yvette Cooper MP becomes Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. • • Pat McFadden remains as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
NEW: Yvette Cooper is the new Health Secretary • • Pat McFadden stays on at work and pensions
Yvette Cooper becomes health secretary. • • Pat McFadden stays in the welfare brief
Live: Yvette Cooper appointed health secretary - report
Yvette Cooper has been appointed as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care @dhscgovuk.
Yvette Cooper has been appointed as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care @dhscgovuk.
BREAKING • • Yvette Cooper has become the new Health Secretary • • Pat McFadden has moved to DWP • • So where does that leave Wes Streeting? MOD?
Pat McFadden is staying on as welfare secretary
John Healey becomes chancellor weeks after shock resignation from defence job
One month after resigning from Keir Starmer's government, former Defense Secretary John Healey has been appointed Treasury Secretary by the new British Prime Minister.
One month after resigning from Keir Starmer's government, former Defence Secretary John Healey was appointed head of the Treasury by the new British Prime Minister.
By a process of elimination, either Yvette Cooper walks out of No 10 as defence secretary which is a good adjacent job after being Foreign Secretary / or it is effectively a lower place in the pecking order • But Burnham does need some more very senior women in these big roles. • Well, it’s gripping to watch
Live: #UNITED_KINGDOM Andy Burnham's team, the new Prime Minister, is beginning to take shape: • John Healey, former Minister of Defence in Keir Starmer's government, is appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer...
Yvette Cooper is moving to MEDIA, CULTURE AND SPORT SECRETARY from Foreign Sec. • • Breaking news: Burnham Cabinet. • • @tomhfh @christopherhope
Live: Louise Haigh's cabinet appointment
What is this event about?
This market will resolve to the individual who is officially appointed as the next Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom by December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET.
To count for resolution, the individual must be officially appointed by the United Kingdom Monarch. Any interim or caretaker Defence Secretary will not count toward the resolution of this market.
If no such Defence Secretary is appointed, or Dan Jarvis is re-appointed as Defence Secretary, by December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET, this market will resolve to “No next Defence Secretary in 2026”.
The primary resolution source for this market will be official information from the Government of the United Kingdom; however, a consensus of credible reporting may also be used.