LONDON — James Murray was appointed as Health and Social Care Secretary in the UK government, taking over one of the largest Cabinet portfolios by departmental budget. He succeeds Wes Streeting, who departed the role.

Murray will assume the post immediately, with no period of preparation away from the front line. He was elected as MP for the London seat of Ealing North in 2019 and previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, where he had robust exchanges with Streeting over funding for health.

Before entering Parliament, Murray served as Deputy Mayor of London and was an Islington councillor from 2006 to 2016. He also worked as a management consultant. After Sir Keir Starmer became Labour leader, Murray joined the whips office, and he had a brief stint on the health and social care select committee. He has a close relationship with Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Murray was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune neurological condition caused by problems with signals sent between the nerves and the muscles, and was treated by the NHS as a patient. On his personal website, cutting NHS waiting times is listed as a priority, along with creating more evening and weekend appointments every week, to be paid for by a crackdown on tax avoidance and non-doms.

He takes over the department with unresolved industrial action, with 14 strikes by resident doctors since March 2023 and no resolution in sight. A key Labour pledge is ensuring that 92% of patients in England get planned treatment done in 18 weeks.

The King's Speech included an NHS Modernisation Bill, which formalises the abolition of NHS England and the move of its functions to the Department of Health and Social Care. A transformation of the NHS in England under a 10-year plan has also been launched, with a major shift of patient care from hospitals to local communities.

The Royal College of Nursing said Murray must urgently tackle the depleted and undervalued nursing workforce. The Leeds Maternity Families Group said it was a hugely important time to have continuity for bereaved and harmed families, as an ongoing independent inquiry examines repeated failings and potentially avoidable harm to babies and mothers in the NHS.