Do we know who the new Minister for Women will be, or if we will even have one? Maybe Minister for How I Identify.

[IwantToRetire]

That's it.

I cant find out anything.

But suspect it is bottom of Starmer's to do list.

I think the Timpsons appointment was done the same way? Also there should be questions to answer about a conflict of interest with regard to that one.

But no one will care.

I agree, Jess Phillips would also get air time and so women's issues would get raised and not ignored.

If Starmer is silly enough to immediately make it clear that all his comments on women's rights and equality through the election campaign, particularly at the last minute, were less than truthful and that he now means to silence women on this topic, it's going to look really, really shit for him in the press, isn't it?

That depends whether the press gives it any coverage.

The Mail probably will, the Times and Telegraph possibly, otherwise it's hardly odds on.

Surprised about Thornberry. I thought she was a reasonably close ally of Starmer's and had performed well as a front bencher. (I don't like her, but I don't think she's inept.) I don't know anything about Hermer, but if he's an experienced barrister maybe he'll be OK.

Also a bit surprised to see the number of appointments made by making people peers, as if Starmer doesn't consider anyone out of his 400+ MPs to be good enough to be in government.

Good god. Jess Phillips? The proponent of the "spousal veto"? Would you wish for Nokes, had the Tories won?

Upthread someone made a good point about 200 (?) or so MPs realising they're lobby fodder. This would only increase that feeling.

Carolyn Harris also might be a name they're considering? She's close to them and was at the No10 lineup.

Which other Cabinet positions that matter are still to be filled?

Every Department has a Lords Minister.

The new Lord Timpson will be the MOJ Lords minister. The new Lord Vallance will be the DSIT Lords Minister.

But instead of using the Lords just for cronies or family members, Starmer seems to be using it to ensure his Prisons minister is someone with long experience of working on issues of prison rehabilitation, and his Science Minister has real experience as a scientist.

That isn’t a bad thing.

oh god she's not very bright is she.

My guess is Starmer won't want anyone undermining his authority in cabinet. She's a much stronger personality than he is. Or maybe he's got something special lined up for her.

So have I missed him making a decision on this flummoxingly difficult decision?

Whoever he gets needs to be asked by that bloke from LBC the question about toilets.

Maybe he can't decide and it's on the first cabinet meeting agenda. Is this the only unfilled position? Maybe he thinks if he scraps the position entirely people will stop asking him if women have penises 😂

The toddler "if I shut my eyes, you disappear" strategy? I can see that working for him.

Well, I suppose it should be David Lammy - after all he knows so much about women that he says on national TV and radio transwomen can "grow" a cervix after treatment.....but instead they are giving him the job of Foreign Secretary. Imagine - trusting a guy to fill one of the most powerful and senior jobs in the country who is so monumentally stupid that he thinks blokes can grow a cervix.

I like to think of him as David lumme. Let's see how they do.

David Lamely

He also thought that the black / white smoke thing when they’re deciding on the next pope was an innuendo about the next pope’s race. He’s got form for spouting bollocks about things he doesn’t understand. It’s definitely a worry he’s Foreign Secretary.

www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-21764636.amp

So it’s taken less than 24 hours for women to be thrown under the bus by Labour!

Wish I could say I was surprised!

How can anyone be that stupid? Imagine tweeting something that dense and still having the confidence to think you should be foreign secretary.

It’s hard to imagine how anyone could leap to such a conclusion isn’t it?

Maybe he’s convinced by Robin DiAngelo’s theory that “the question is not ‘did racism take place?’ It’s ‘how did racism manifest in that situation?’” In a scenario where you have black smoke, white smoke and a pope what other conclusion could you possibly come to?

Is this an unknown

Would prefer Duffield over someone like Dawn Butler, obviously

Duw 'elp! (God help us!)

She's not even MP material if it wasn't for the fact she's had such a safe seat. She's still very focused on showing off her ally credentials after a very concerning employment tribunal that included allegations of homophobic attitudes towards a lesbian working in her constituency office.

Women and Equalities is a ministerial position, not a Secretary of State with a government department, and they haven’t announced any ministerial positions yet apart from Vallance and Timpson. Vallance and Timpson are not members of the cabinet.

Apparently the central four who will oversee the government are Starmer, Reeves, Rayner and Pat McFadden. Despite Rayner thinking that TWAW, Pat McFadden doesn’t strike me as the sort of bloke who thinks some women have a penis. But I realise that I may be being over-optimistic.