Yorkshire MPs take centre stage in Keir's cabinet

Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his new cabinet in his first act as Prime Minister - with Yorkshire well represented.

Six MPs from the region were given senior government roles following Labour's landslide win in the general election.

Labour won the election with a majority of 174, taking most seats across Yorkshire along the way.

Sir Keir vowed to start work "immediately", with the new cabinet meeting for the first time on Saturday morning.

Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West and Pudsey, has been appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

A former Bank of England economist who first became an MP in West Yorkshire in 2010, Ms Reeves is now in charge of the country's finances.

She is the United Kingdom's first female chancellor, which she described as a "historic responsibility".

She said on X following her appointment: "To every young girl and woman reading this, let today show that there should be no limit to your ambitions."

Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, has been appointed as Home Secretary.

She will be in charge of policy areas regarding crime, national security and immigration.

Ms Cooper has been an MP since 1997 and served in government under former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

She said her new appointment was the "greatest privilege", adding: "The work to get neighbourhood police back on our streets and to strengthen our border security starts now."

Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North, has been appointed Energy, Security and Net Zero Secretary.

Mr Miliband is now in charge of delivering the UK's legal commitment to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The former Labour leader said: "This government has won a mandate to deliver a bold plan for energy independence, lower energy bills, good jobs and to tackle the climate crisis."

John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, has been appointed Defence Secretary.

Mr Healey, who describes himself as a "proud Yorkshireman", said: "This government is fully committed to strengthening our Armed Forces and setting out a clear path to 2.5% of GDP on defence."

Among his first official duties will be attending the 75th anniversary summit of Nato in Washington DC next week.

Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, has been appointed Transport Secretary.

Ms Haigh is now responsible for nationalising the railways, one of Labour's manifesto commitments.

Ms Haigh was born in Sheffield and has been an MP since 2015.

She said transport was "at the heart" of the Labour government, adding: "The hard work starts today."

Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds South, has been appointed Northern Ireland Secretary.

He is one of the few Labour MPs with extensive experience as a cabinet minister, having been international development secretary between 2003 and 2007 under Tony Blair.

Mr Benn was also environment secretary in Gordon Brown's government from 2007 to 2010.

Taking up his new role, he said: "I look forward to working with all the NI parties, to upholding the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and to helping NI realise its full potential as a fantastic place to live, work and invest."

Sir Keir will continue to appoint junior ministers, with one Yorkshire MP already taking one of those roles.

Dan Jarvis, MP for Barnsley North, has been appointed Minister of State in the Home Office, saying he was "honoured" to take up the role.

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