Former Labour leader 'thrilled to bits' as son becomes new Welsh secretary

Former Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock is "thrilled to bits" his son has been promoted to the cabinet as the new Secretary of State for Wales.

Stephen Kinnock was appointed on Monday as Andy Burnham unveiled his prime ministerial team.

Kinnock, who was a junior health minister in the UK Labour government, replaces Cardiff East MP Jo Stevens, who previously said on X she was "proud" of her role in government.

Lord Kinnock, 84, who was the party's leader from 1983 to 1992, his son would "press the case for Welsh interests".

Stevens, who took up the role of Welsh secretary when Labour came to power in 2024, said it had been "a privilege and an honour" to have the job.

On Tuesday, Lord Kinnock, said he was "thrilled to bits".

"We had our midnight conversation, not the first in our lives it has to be said, and usually that was because he came home late.

"It was a delight."

He added that [Stephen] Kinnock has earned it, both with a lifetime of action and service and in the last two years as the Minister of State for Health.

"Now as secretary of state he'll be in a position position to directly influence UK affairs in a way that benefits our country."

Jo Stevens had faced criticism from some Welsh Labour politicians for not supporting more powers for the Welsh government, such as for policing, with one former minister describing her as "anti-devolution".

But she said Wales saw its biggest budget settlement for public services in the history of devolution while she was in office.

Stevens added: "Wales has seen the biggest budget settlement for our public services in the history of devolution, our steel industry saved and transformed for the future, the largest public investment in Wales in history through new nuclear at Wylfa, a generational commitment of £14bn for our Welsh railways, the best local growth fund settlement of any of the UK nations and so much more.

"I wish the new prime minister and my successor the very best in their new roles and know that they will do a great job, alongside our new Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates, in delivering for the people of Wales."

Stevens said former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer "leaves with the country in a much better place than he found it".

Wales' first minister urged the new prime minister to "turn his commitment to devolution into action" and said he hoped to build a "positive and productive relationship" with the new UK government.

In his first call with Andy Burnham, Rhun ap Iorwerth called for Wales to gain control of policing, justice, rail and the Crown Estate.

Downing Street said the prime minister had spoken to the leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and wanted a "collaborative, practical and pragmatic" relationship with the devolved administrations.

A spokesperson said closer working could help deliver "deeper devolution" and boost economic growth.

Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts congratulated Stephen Kinnock on his appointment, despite describing the Welsh secretary role as an "anachronism" that sits uneasily with devolution.

She said Plaid hoped to build a constructive relationship with Kinnock and looked forward to discussions about devolving rail infrastructure, the Crown Estate, justice and policing, adding that the party's Senedd election victory in May gave it a "clear mandate" that should be respected.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Tonia Antoniazzi said it had been a "brutal 24 hours" for colleagues and friends.

The Member of Parliament for Gower added that Burnham and Kinnock had to turn the tide following Labour's historic defeat in Senedd in May.

"I think people saw Reform as either being a protest vote. A lot of our voters went to vote Reform or Plaid Cymru, and there has been a change in the Senedd and we accept that," she said.

Antoniazzi, who is also the chair of the Northern Ireland Committee, said she was looking forward to working with Chris Bryant, MP for Rhondda and Ogmore, who had been promoted to the role of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and former MEP Glenys Kinnock, he was born in Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent.

He has two children with the former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Kinnock was elected to serve Aberavon in the 2015 general election.

Keir Starmer appointed him as a junior health minister for England when Labour came to power at Westminster in 2024 with Kinnock representing the newly named constituency of Aberafan Maesteg.

Vale of Glamorgan MP Kanishka Narayan will be the minister for artificial intelligence and will also attend cabinet.

Meanwhile, Torfaen MP and Starmer loyalist Nick Thomas-Symonds announced he would be leaving government after holding a key role as the UK's chief negotiator with the European Union.

In a letter on X, he said it had been "an honour to have a role at the centre of government" and he was leaving office with the UK-EU relationship in a "far better state than when I took up the role in July 2024".