Lisa Nandy on Monday (6) promised a constructive Opposition to the British government as she got to work as the UK's shadow foreign secretary in the newly-elected Labour Party leader Keir Starmer's top team.
The 40-year-old MP for Wigan in Greater Manchester was one of the first appointments to be announced by Starmer, who took over from Jeremy Corbyn as the Leader of the Opposition over the weekend, and makes Nandy effectively his second in command in the House of Commons.
She thanked the new party leader for the "opportunity to serve" and in response to her counterpart in government, foreign secretary Dominic Raab's congratulatory message, said her first focus will be on the "pressing matter" of Britons stranded abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic worldwide lockdown.
"You can be assured of constructive Opposition and I look forward to speaking at the earliest opportunity about the coronavirus crisis and the pressing matter of Britons stranded abroad," said Nandy, the daughter of India-born academic Dipak Nandy.
"It’s a real honour to be tasked with leading Labour's foreign policy response in these difficult times," she posted on Twitter soon after her shadow cabinet appointment on Sunday night.
Nandy came in third in a three-way Labour Party leadership postal ballot, which was won by Starmer who polled 275,780 votes followed by Rebecca Long-Bailey in distant second with 135,218 votes.
While Long-Bailey is seen as aligned to the old guard led by Jeremy Corbyn and unlikely to find a spot among Starmer's close aides, Nandy has been a vocal critic of the former leadership over its Brexit policies and is expected to emerge as a key Opposition voice under the new guard.
Her appointment in the top team is seen as among the many signs of Starmer's plan to revamp the Labour Party, which had suffered a bruising defeat during the December 2019 General Election.
Besides Nandy, his top team includes Welsh MP Nick Thomas-Symonds as shadow home secretary and Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds as shadow chancellor. Among the other appointments, Angela Rayner, the newly-elected deputy leader, was also made the Labour Party chair.
There are key roles or MPs from a BAME background, including David Lammy, shadow justice secretary; Emily Thornberry, shadow international trade secretary; Thangam Debbonaire, shadow housing secretary; Preet Kaur Gill, shadow international development secretary; Rosena Allin-Khan, shadow minister for mental health and Valerie Vaz, shadow leader of the house.
"I will have in my shadow those that want to serve towards the future aim of winning that next General Election. It'll be a talented, balanced shadow cabinet," said Starmer, stressing that the party''s will be keeping an eye on the 2024 General Election.
"We just lost four elections in a row and therefore of course we need to change. If we don''t change we will lose the next general election," he said, in one of his first interviews as Labour leader.
His win has been welcomed by Indian diaspora groups, who hope for a new chapter in the party's connect with the 1.5-million-strong Indian-origin voter base in the UK which felt increasingly alienated under Corbyn's perceived anti-India focus on contentious issues such as human rights in Kashmir.
"I am confident that under your leadership the Labour Party will further strengthen its historic bonds with India and will build enduring bridges to connect with the Indian diaspora in the UK," said Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, in her congratulatory message for Starmer.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)