Who is James Murray? Starmer loyalist named health secretary
Who is Labour's James Murray, the new health secretary, who has replaced Wes Streeting?
Sir Keir Starmer has appointed James Murray as health secretary after Wes Streeting resigned in protest over Labour's leadership.
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The prime minister acted after Ilford MP Mr Streeting announced he would leave the Cabinet on the back of disappointing local election results for the government.
His place on the frontbench will be taken by Mr Murray, a loyalist to Sir Keir who has served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Secretary to the Treasury since Labour came into power in July 2024.
The announcement went under the radar, amid the furore surrounding Mr Streeting's resignation, which could ultimately lead to the prime minister facing a party leadership contest.
Mr Murray smiled and said “good morning” to members of the press, but did not answer questions about Sir Keir's future when he left No 10 after a 25-minute meeting on Thursday.
He tweeted: "Deeply honoured to be appointed by the Prime Minister as Health & Social Care Secretary.
"Huge thanks to @RachelReevesMP for my time as part of her fantastic team. Can't wait to get started and continue @wesstreeting's brilliant work on such a critical mission for our country."
Mr Streeting tweeted: “Congratulations to @jamesmurray_ldn on his promotion to Health & Social Care Secretary.
“He inherits a wonderful team and an important mission. He has my full support.”
As part of the shuffle, Lucy Rigby was appointed to Mr Murray’s former role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Rachel Blake will succeed her as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
Despite not having worked in the health department before, there appeared to be little surprise around his appointment, given his commitment to toeing the party line.
He has frequently appeared on LBC, telling Nick Ferrari at Breakfast about fuel relief and, more recently, has said that the UK is still on track to be the fastest-growing European economy in the G7. He has also defended his old boss Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, on air - and fended off questions as to whether Lord Mandelson was involved in a government deal with the US.
Reactions to the appointment have been mixed.
Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South, said: "James Murray will make a fantastic Health Secretary. I am so pleased to see his appointment. And as his first boss in politics, I'm very proud to see his success."
The Telegraph's Tom Harris was far more critical, stating: "He is, in short, precisely the sort of identikit, conveyor-belt politician that Starmer likes best: not too pushy, not ambitious beyond his abilities (or worse, ambitious beyond Starmer’s abilities) and willing to recite the approved Government line on command."
Adam Sampson, chief executive of the Association of Optometrists, said: “The new health secretary has an opportunity to build a more joined-up and resilient health and care system, but this can only be achieved by prioritising primary care and integrated community services.
“Addressing these challenges will require long-term leadership, sustained investment and a renewed commitment to moving more care closer to home – as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.”
The Company Chemists' Association added in a statement: “We urge the new Health Secretary to prioritise completion of community pharmacy contractual negotiations, ensuring that pharmacies get the uplift in funding they desperately need.”