Who is James Murray, the new health secretary replacing Wes Streeting?

From a high-profile, media friendly Secretary of State to a relatively unknown MP, the departure of Wes Streeting and arrival of James Murray has raised eyebrows in the health and political worlds.

It is one of the biggest Cabinet jobs with the largest public service departmental budgets.

There will be a steep learning curve with no time for preparation away from the front-line.

Murray says he's "deeply honoured to be appointed" to the brief and continue "Wes Streeting's brilliant work on such a critical mission", but who is he, and what issues will he face in his in-tray?

The new Health and Social Care Secretary was elected to the London seat of Ealing North in 2019, having previously been a Deputy Mayor of London, an Islington councillor from 2006 to 2016 and a management consultant.

He joined the whips office after Sir Keir Starmer became Labour leader – following a brief stint on the health and social care select committee - and is seen as a Starmer loyalist.

During his maiden speech in March 2020, the minister said the NHS came to his rescue after he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune neurological condition caused by problems with signals sent between the nerves and the muscles.

Addressing the Commons at the time, he told MPs they "must win the battle for the NHS and the social care system that we need" and that he would "fight every day for our NHS with the strength that it has given me back".

On his personal website, cutting NHS waiting times also features as a priority, along with creating more evening and weekend appointments every week, "paid for by a crackdown on tax avoidance and non-doms".

Doctor strikes and other challenges

The health brief is one of the lagrest in government, and Murray inherits an overflowing in-tray and a department under continuous scrutiny from politicians, clinicians, patients and the media.

Sorting out the resident doctors' dispute is an immediate challenge. There have been 14 strikes since March 2023 with no resolution in sight yet.

The Royal College of Nursing, meanwhile, says Murray must urgently tackle the depleted and undervalued nursing workforce.

Tackling the issue of corridor care in A&E is another challenge.

A key Labour pledge - ensuring that 92% of patients in England get planned treatment done in 18 weeks - will fall to the new secretary of state and most health experts are doubtful whether the target can be achieved.

This week's King's Speech also included an NHS Modernisation Bill which will have to be steered through parliament. This has all the technical detail required to formalise the abolition of NHS England and the move of its functions to the Department of Health and Social Care.

There will, no doubt, be multiple amendments amidst intense parliamentary scrutiny - and that's not to mention to the job cuts and disruption of the administrative shake-up that comes with it.

Intriguingly, Murray comes from one side of the Whitehall table - as a treasury minister fending off spending requests - to the other, as the head of a major spending department.

As Chief Secretary to the Treasury he would have had robust exchanges with Wes Streeting over money for health. His management experience will come in handy, as will his close relationship with the Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Some patient and health groups have also raised potential concerns about the change - or disruption - such an appointment can bring.

The Leeds Maternity Families Group said it was a hugely important time to have continuity for bereaved and harmed families. An ongoing independent inquiry is examining repeated failings and potentially avoidable harm to babies and mothers in the NHS.

A spokesperson questioned whether the new Secretary of State would fully grasp the severity of the issues raised with Wes Streeting.

As well as dealing with the overflowing in-tray of policy issues is the need to be patient facing. Wes Streeting had the knack of displaying empathy and understanding of people's health challenges and frustration at NHS failings and delays. Doing media interviews and NHS visits as health secretary will be very different from what's required of a treasury minister.

Mr Murray will know that a lot is riding on his appointment. A transformation of the NHS in England under a 10-year plan has been launched, with a major shift of patient care from hospitals to local communities. Labour's chances at the next general election will to some extent depend on how that plan is progressing and whether patients feel they are getting better NHS care.