Liz Kendall sacked from DWP, replaced by Pat McFadden

Details: Published: 05 September 2025

Liz Kendall has been sacked as secretary of state for work and pensions in Labour’s cabinet reshuffle, following the resignation of Angela Rayner. Kendall has become science secretary and been replaced at the DWP by Pat McFadden.

Mc Fadden has been an MP since 2005.

He was Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills under Gordon Brown.

He was also a show cabinet minister under Ed Miliband and under Jeremy Corbyn, who later sacked him for alleged disloyalty.

He was reappointed to the shadow cabinet under Keir Starmer and was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations when Starmer became PM.

McFadden is seen as being on the right of the Labour party.

His voting record on welfare benefits has generally been in favour of increasing benefits for sick and disabled claimants and against cuts in welfare spending.

But if readers are wondering how different from his predecessor he will be, it’s worth noting that McFadden nominated Liz Kendall for her bid for the Labour leadership in 2015.

It is also being widely reported that Skills is being taken from the Department for Education and handed to the DWP, making it an even larger and more powerful ministry.

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Moose · 37 minutes ago
DWP is a poisoned chalice for whoever runs it and is only trumped by Home Office.
None of the MPs have any clue about any of the departments they run and that’s not new or limited to Labour.
The success or failure of any department is down to the advisers in the background.
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Cathedral city · 39 minutes ago
Oh goodness, no. More cuts on the way.
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TitanAX9901 · 50 minutes ago
I found Liz Kendall rather offensive. I am referring to her portrait pictures taken - the forlorn look which was quite unbecoming but epitomised her condescending, yet, draconian and satanic stance towards the disabled. It does not worry me about Pat McFadden. All of the politicians are the same, they all come out of the same mould / mold especially as it seems the younger generation of Labour MP's who are Oxbridge certainly do, will try to achieve much the same as Liz Kendall. I am not unhappy to see Liz Kendall go.
What is worrying is the support that is growing for Reform UK, they are pledging to make much greater cutbacks to disability benefits if they are elected into power.
If the current Labour Government follows through on a more compassionate approach vector through the Timms review (which is unlikely) it may well be a short lived victory for disabled people in the event that Labour is then voted out of power shortly afterwards.
Reform are looking to implement even deeper cuts to disability benefits. What needs to happen, is the legislation that is agreed upon between Timms, the disability fraternity, charities and organisations working in favour of the disabled, ensures built in protection from future cuts in the event a different government is elected in the forthcoming general election. This would at least make it difficult for Reform to implement policies that are even more inhumane than the current Labour Government. Any cuts, any legislation should be protected for at least 10 years after it is agreed upon. If protection can be given through the triple lock for pensioners, then why can't disabled people have this as well?
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  Moose · 31 minutes ago
  
  @TitanAX9901 Reform only have one single aim - sort out illegal immigration.
  
  They have no plan for any other department of Government.
  
  Government is of course about all the different departments not just one.
  
  Whilst they are getting support on their supposed plans for illegal immigration, even those wont be got over the line quickly because of the many obstacles to stop it.
  
  With their single mindedness on that issue I think they will be a worse party to have in power than all of the others.
  
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