UK Parliament
Yvette Cooper has been appointed health secretary in prime minister Andy Burnham’s first cabinet, replacing James Murray.
Cooper was appointed as secretary of state for health and social care on 20 July 2026, moving from her previous role as foreign secretary.
Cooper is MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley and was first elected to Parliament in 1997. She previously worked as a junior health minister in the Blair government between 1999 and 2003, while her other government positions have included home secretary, chief secretary to the treasury, secretary of state for work and pensions, as well as housing minister.
In a post published on her X account on 20 July 2026, Cooper said: “[I am] looking forward to working urgently to improve maternity services, to take forward plans for social care, and to once again play a part in supporting our National Health Service, Labour’s proudest achievement.
“Most of all, I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated NHS staff, carers, healthcare professionals and volunteers on whom we all depend.”
Commenting on the new health secretary’s appointment, Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “She takes on the role at a pivotal moment for the future of the NHS, with growing recognition of the vital contribution that local pharmacies make to improving patient access to care and delivering it closer to home.
“Pharmacies remain under considerable pressure, and maintaining momentum on reform and sector sustainability, as well as building on the investment and sector contributions to date, will be vital.
“We stand ready to work constructively with the new secretary of state and her team to help deliver the government’s health ambitions alongside the support, reform and investment that pharmacies desperately need.”
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “We look forward to working constructively with Yvette Cooper and her ministerial team to tackle the fundamental issues holding community pharmacy back, including ending the unacceptable situation where pharmacies are forced to dispense medicines at a loss.
“Following the prime minister’s commitment to supporting the high street during his leadership campaign, we also hope the government will address the deep unfairness whereby GP surgeries and dental practices receive business rates reimbursement for NHS services, while community pharmacies do not.”
Ministerial changes made by prime minister Andy Burnham also saw former pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock move to a new role as secretary of state for Wales.
“Stephen Kinnock has been an engaged and constructive minister, who has gone into bat for community pharmacy. We thank him for this, and for the time he has taken to understand the challenges and opportunities for community pharmacy and their value to communities,” Morrison said.
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “The former minister for pharmacy, Stephen Kinnock, worked hard with our sector to begin reversing a decade of funding cuts – but there is a long way still to go. We now need to go further and faster to make community pharmacies a centrepiece of primary care reform, delivering fundamental improvements for patients and places everywhere.
“Andy Burnham’s pledge to reform business rates in order to provide greater support for high-street businesses is quite right. Pharmacies are at the heart of every high street and should benefit from the business rate relief already given to other parts of the NHS, so that we can continue to provide vital healthcare in every neighbourhood.”
At the time of publication, a replacement pharmacy minister had yet to be appointed.
