Ukraine peace talks in Berlin: What was discussed and what’s next?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from December 14 to 15, 2025, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S...
David Lammy, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood are on the up as Prime Minister Keir Starmer reshuffles his cabinet following former deputy Angela Rayner's exit.
In a post on X, Crerar said Lammy would move to become deputy prime minister and justice minister, if the changes are confirmed.
Local media reports that Member of Parliament Shabana Mahmood, currently Justice Minister, is expected to take over Cooper’s role at the home office.
The reshuffle was triggered by the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who stepped down after admitting she had underpaid property tax on a new home.
Alongside the cabinet changes, Starmer has also reshaped his Downing Street team. Darren Jones, formerly Rachel Reeves’ deputy at the Treasury, has been brought in as chief secretary to the prime minister, overseeing day-to-day delivery of Starmer’s priorities.
Former Treasury official Dan York Smith has been appointed principal private secretary, Baroness Shafik, a former Bank of England deputy governor, will serve as chief economic adviser, and Tim Allan, a former aide to Tony Blair, has returned as executive director of communications.
Starmer told the BBC on Monday that the moves mark the start of “phase two” of his government, with a focus on “delivery, delivery, delivery.”
Rayner, 45, was the eighth, and the most senior, ministerial departure from Starmer's team, and the most damaging yet after the British leader offered her his support when she was first accused of avoiding 40,000 pounds ($54,000) in tax.
Rayner apologised to Starmer in her resignation letter. "I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice," she said.
She also stepped down as a minister and as deputy party leader, a position that Lammy will now be in pole position for.
The independent adviser on ministerial standards ruled Rayner had broken the ministerial code - rules to ensure the conduct of politicians meet the standards of public service - because she failed to heed a warning within legal advice which she said she had relied on to seek expert advice on her complicated financial situation.
The reshuffle comes as Labour trails Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in opinion polls and as Starmer prepares for an autumn budget expected to include further tax rises.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
At least 17 people, including students, were killed and 20 others injured after a school bus fell off a cliff in northern Colombia on Sunday, authorities said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that without concrete concessions from Russia, such as limiting its military forces or curbing its defence budget, new conflicts could erupt elsewhere, even if Ukraine receives security guarantees.
Ford Motor Company said on Monday it will take a $19.5 billion writedown and scrap several electric vehicle (EV) models, marking a major retreat from its battery-powered ambitions amid declining EV demand and changes under the Trump administration.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Police in Providence are going door to door for home surveillance footage as the hunt continues for the shooter who killed two Brown University students and injured seven others. Authorities have released fresh video and say a detained "person of interest" is now free.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from December 14 to 15, 2025, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. envoys, and European leaders, focusing on security guarantees and the framework for a potential peace deal with Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” after talks in Berlin, stressing that decisions on Ukraine’s future and territorial issues must be taken by Kyiv itself.
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