Sir Stephen Timms is the first of Newham’s three Labour MPs to get a job in the new government

East Ham MP Sir Stephen Timms has been appointed a minister in the new Government’s Department of Works and Pension.

Timms, who was reelected for Labour in East Ham, brings years of experience to the department having been the chair of the all-party Parliamentary Select Committee on pensions in recent years.

He is the first of Newham’s three Labour MPs to get a job in the new government, although his two local colleagues are tipped to follow him into leadership roles in the coming years.

James Asser, elected for West Ham and Beckton, already had a high profile in his role as chair of Labour’s National Executive Committee prior to the election, and Uma Kumaran, who won the new seat in Stratford and Bow, has previously worked as an aide in the office of Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he was in opposition.

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