Keir Starmer sacks one of his Northern Ireland ministers amid reshuffle – The Irish Times

UK prime minister Keir Starmer has sacked one of his Northern Ireland ministers as part of a wide-ranging reshuffle.

Fleur Anderson, who was effectively the deputy minister to Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, said she was “disappointed” to be leaving the job, which she held since Labour won last summer’s election, having previously served as a similar shadow role since September 2023.

“Northern Ireland holds a special place in my heart,” said the London-based MP Ms Anderson, who was popular among Irish officials and Government politicians who appreciated her genial style.

Mr Benn survived the far-reaching cabinet reshuffle that was sparked on Friday by the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and housing secretary, after an independent ethics adviser found she had inadvertently underpaid stamp duty on a new flat.

[ Labour’s ‘King of the North’ highlights growing problem facing Keir StarmerOpens in new window ]

Mr Benn’s new deputy under secretary in the Northern Ireland Office is Matthew Patrick, a first-time MP who was part of the 2024 intake. He represents the constituency of Wirral West in Merseyside, taking over the seat previously held by Margaret Greenwood, who had been a front bencher under Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Patrick, who serves on a parliamentary foreign affairs committee, is known in Westminster as a passionate advocate for the families of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7th attacks. He is also a member of Labour Friends for Israel.

A former councillor, Mr Patrick grabbed headlines in his local area during the pandemic after he posted a video of himself on social media eating a raw onion to demonstrate that he had lost his sense of taste after catching Covid.

Meanwhile, Mr Benn met the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, in Oxford on Friday at a conference run by the British Irish Association. Mr Harris said Britain and Ireland were “effectively there” in terms of sealing an agreement over a framework to replace the controversial Legacy Act that granted immunity to people including British soldiers for acts committed during the Troubles.