Turkish Cypriot-origin UK appointed as UK minister

LONDON

King Charles on May 13 approved a cabinet reshuffle proposed by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer after several junior ministers resigned amid growing pressure on the government, with British-Turkish lawmaker Nesil Çalışkan among the newly appointed figures.

According to a statement from Downing Street, Çalışkan, the Labour MP for Barking and of Turkish Cypriot descent, was named a junior minister at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Her specific portfolio has not yet been announced.

Natalie Fleet was appointed to the Home Office, Catherine Atkinson to the Justice Ministry and Preet Kaur to the Department of Health and Social Care.

In the British political system, “ministers of state” serve in junior ministerial roles overseeing specific policy areas within government departments. They are selected by the prime minister and formally approved by the monarch.

Born in London in 1988 to a Turkish Cypriot family, Çalışkan previously served as leader of Enfield Council, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the post at the age of 29.

The reshuffle followed heavy losses for the ruling Labour Party in local and regional elections held on May 7. Labour lost 1,406 of the 2,403 council seats it had previously controlled, while the far-right Reform UK surged from just two seats to 1,444 nationwide.

Labour also suffered major setbacks in elections in Scotland and Wales, where it fell to third place. In the aftermath, 93 Labour lawmakers reportedly called on Starmer to resign, while four junior ministers stepped down from their posts.