Overview

• Keir Starmer completed a rapid reshuffle framed as a renewed growth push, keeping Rachel Reeves as chancellor and installing a slate of ministers tasked with boosting the economy ahead of the 26 November Autumn Budget.
• CityAM reports Torsten Bell has been handed a guiding role for Budget preparations, reinforcing a fiscally focused approach while preserving Treasury continuity under Reeves.
• New appointments include Peter Kyle as business secretary and Steve Reed at housing, with Reed telling officials his mantra is “build, baby, build,” and Pat McFadden taking over at the Department for Work and Pensions.
• At the TUC conference, union leaders warned Labour against watering down the Employment Rights Bill; Downing Street said the policy stands, though sources cited by the Guardian suggested some elements could be diluted or delayed.
• The workers’ rights package is estimated by the government to cost businesses about £5bn annually and includes tighter rules on probation and stronger union powers, as the House of Lords continues to amend the legislation.