Jacqui Smith has been reappointed as skills minister in Andy Burnham’s new government, retaining a role that spans the Department of Education (DfE) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The decision was announced late on 21 July, a day after it was confirmed that deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell would be replacing Bridget Phillipson as education secretary.
Writing on social media, Smith said she was “chuffed” to have been reappointed and had “absolutely loved being the minister for skills across DfE and DWP with responsibility for apprenticeships, FE and HE”.
Smith was first appointed as an education minister in the DfE in 2024 as part of Keir Starmer’s Labour government. The former MP was given a peerage in the House of Lords to allow her to take the role.
In September 2025, a Cabinet reshuffle saw Smith’s role split between the DfE and DWP as responsibility for skills moved to the latter.
