Stephen Kinnock appointed Welsh Secretary as Burnham names new Cabinet
Mark Mansfield
Stephen Kinnock has been appointed Secretary of State for Wales as Prime Minister Andy Burnham completed his first Cabinet reshuffle, replacing Jo Stevens after two years in the role.
The Aberafan Maesteg MP is among several Welsh politicians to receive senior positions in Mr Burnham’s new administration. Sir Chris Bryant, the MP for Rhondda and Ogmore, has also been promoted to Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Mr Kinnock, who has represented his constituency since 2015, is the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and the husband of former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt. He succeeds Ms Stevens after previously serving as a minister under Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
Jo Stevens confirmed on Monday that she was leaving the Cabinet after Mr Burnham became Prime Minister following his Labour leadership victory.
In a statement on X, the Cardiff East MP described serving as Wales Secretary as “a privilege and an honour”.
She said that during her time in office Wales had secured what she described as the biggest budget settlement for public services since devolution, support for the steel industry, investment in the proposed Wylfa nuclear development, a £14 billion commitment for Welsh railways and the best local growth fund settlement of any UK nation.
Ms Stevens wished Mr Burnham and Mr Kinnock “the very best” in their new roles, adding that she looked forward to seeing them work alongside Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates.
In response to the appointment, Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, said: “Plaid Cymru has long argued that the post of Secretary of State for Wales is an anachronism that sits uneasily with the realities of devolution. Nevertheless, I congratulate Stephen Kinnock on his appointment and sincerely hope he proves us wrong by showing that the office can be more than Westminster’s voice in Wales.
“The people of Wales gave Plaid Cymru a clear mandate just over two months ago, and that must be respected. We look forward to meaningful discussions on the devolution of rail infrastructure, the Crown Estate, justice and policing, and to building a more constructive relationship with the new Secretary of State in order to deliver for Wales.”
Anglican priest
Sir Chris Bryant’s appointment sees him take over the Northern Ireland brief from Hilary Benn, who announced he was standing down after two years in the post.
The Rhondda and Ogmore MP, a former Anglican priest and author, has represented constituencies in the south Wales valleys since 2001 and most recently served as a minister in the Department for Business and Trade.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee paid tribute to Mr Benn for his work on UK-Ireland relations and the Troubles legacy framework, while Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson thanked him for his service despite political disagreements. SDLP leader Claire Hanna also praised his willingness to engage across party lines.
The appointments came as Mr Burnham unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the Cabinet inherited from Sir Keir Starmer. Former defence secretary John Healey was appointed Chancellor, Ed Miliband became Foreign Secretary and Louise Haigh was named First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
‘Change’
Among those leaving Cabinet were Rachel Reeves, David Lammy, Peter Kyle, Hilary Benn, Jo Stevens and Nick Thomas-Symonds. Jonathan Reynolds became Business Secretary with an expanded brief, while Wes Streeting returned to government as Defence Secretary.
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Mr Burnham promised the “biggest changes in the last 40 years”, pledging to help households with the cost of living, build more council homes and pursue what he described as a programme of “reindustrialising Britain”. He also promised to publish a 10-year plan for government later this year.
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Seems like a sensible choice and someone who will put Wales first.
Amir – Stephen Kinnock covers Port Talbot.
Tata down-sized the steel works.
Mass unemployment; yes there are plans / funds to invest in new organisations – but did Stephen standup for the region?
Standup means to actively promote the region / hold televised roundtables (Farage did) / ensure the council has excellent business development staff.
Mawr ein braint.
Kinnock and Bryant are definitely on the gravy train.
S Kinnock esq. is Welsh in the same way Michael Gove is Scots!
The most positive way to look at this is to say that he isn’t Jo Stevens. I wonder if, in tribute to Burnham, we’ll see the emergence of Aberafan Maestegism.
Maestegism sounds like a STD
Yes, there’s a new face in the Welsh Office with Stephen Kinnock, but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Like father, like son? I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but he did vote to deny Wales HS2 & Oxford- Cambridge consequentials, so you can understand my pessimism. Will he treat Wales with the contempt Kinnock senior showed during the 1979 devolution referendum and in the watering down of the powers devolved in 1997, or will he, unlike his father, genuinely turn over a new leaf and play a part in devolving criminal justice, policing, and the… Read more »
God help us if he’s anything like his father. Another MP parachuted into what used to be a safe labour seat.
Will he fight fior Wales?
I’ll reserve my opinion for a few months.
He will be awful. They all are. Good news for Plaid Cymru though as support for them will only grow when Mr Devolution Andy Burnham turns out to only support devovling power when it happens in England.
Burnham says he’s pro-devolution but them appoints Kinnock as Welsh Secretary. I’ve yet to hear Kinnock say one positive thing about devolution. A very disappointing start from Burnham.
Kinnock a BRITISH Labour MP replacing another BRITISH Labour MP in Jo Stevens = more colonisation of Cymru on the way.
Yep. A blow-in who thought the billions owed to Wales via HS2 were best spent in England.
My goodness me, I was feeling good when I heard that Jo Stevens was going, but being replaced by Kinnock is just as bad, if not worse. His behaviour towards Wales in the past says so much about his likely commitment to this job. He left the Welsh Affairs Committee in 2018 because he wanted to serve on other committees that interested him more. As far as I know, he has never said anything about Welsh culture or offered any vision for Wales. Finally, he speaks five languages. Yet, he speaks no Welsh even though his mother did and shows… Read more »
Let’s face it, most on here couldn’t find a Welsh Labour MP they would welcome as Secretary of State and it’s a sideshow anyway. What really matters is the dialogue between the Prime and First Ministers. I hope Plaid are doing their homework on the terms they would accept further devolution (and changes to Barnett?) if Burnham is serious. Need to move on from simply listing nice to haves. They could be caught out otherwise.
He could’ve put Mr Drakeford into the upper house and made him SoS. That would’ve been more interesting.
It doesn’t say much for Burnham’s understanding of devolution if Kinnock as Colonial Governor is the best he can offer! Neither of the Kinnocks have ever spoken up for Wales in the past and I do not see that situation changing.
Like his father Neil, who was hysterically opposed to devolution for Wales before the 1979 Welsh Assembly Referendum, Stephen Kinnock is sure to be vehemently opposed to any further devolution for Wales. He is delighted with the current grossly unequal Union, i.e., the UK. With England having a massive 84% of its population and MPs England, of course, rules and has total control of the UK including Wales. He is, no doubt, fervently supportive of this situation continuing in perpetuity. The worse possible choice as Wales’ Secretary of State.
Another plastic Welshman to keep Cymru in it’s place.
No!!!!!
Gravy train rider like mum and dad!
Brawd mogi i’w tagu.
This is clearly a job for the boys situation, he is doing this specifically as a thank you to Neil Kinnock for helping Burnham’s political career, it’s so obvious and he even stated Neil as his top 3 people most influential people in the Labour party when he was announced as leader.