The Sun uncovers remarkable influence of family connections in Labour government

AN astonishing “new aristocracy” of couples, relatives and nepo-babies runs the Government.

Analysis reveals that more than twenty ministers, such as Rachel Reeves, Pat McFadden, and Wes Streeting, have family members who are employed by either the taxpayer or the Labour Party.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Government is littered with husband and wife ­politicians, sisters in top roles and the offspring of Labour powerbrokers.

Within the Cabinet, seven members, including the Defence and Business Secretary, have relatives working for other ministers, Labour-appointed special advisers, or civil servants.

The Government recently released their initial transparency reports, which detail possible conflicts of interest within the Cabinet and throughout Whitehall.

And it showed an unprecedented 28 ministers are related to each other, married to other Labour politicians or have their partner also on the public purse.

Under Rishi Sunak’s Tories, that figure was 11.

Chancellor Ms Reeves’ husband is a powerful Whitehall mandarin, while Cabinet Office boss Pat McFadden’s wife was appointed by Sir Keir as a political aide.

Ms Reeves’ MP sister Ellie now attends Cabinet, while Ellie’s ­husband John Cryer is a Labour minister in the House of Lords.

Health Secretary Mr Streeting’s partner is paid by Labour as a spin doctor, while minister Georgia Gould’s husband is an adviser to Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.

Ms Gould is considered Labour royalty, as her father Philip was the architect of New Labour and her mother serves as a Labour peer.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s husband is a senior figure at media regulator Ofcom.

The lower ranks are also heaving with ministers whose partners and family also serve Labour or the taxpayer.

Foreign Office minister ­Hamish Falconer’s father is a ­Labour peer, while fellow minister Baroness Chapman’s husband Nick Smith is a Labour MP.

The Eagle sisters, Angela and Maria, serve Home Office and Defence Ministers respectively.

Meanwhile, Treasury Minister Lord Livermore’s partner Seb Dance is London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s deputy.

Fellow peer Baroness Smith, who serves as Advocate General of Scotland, is the youngest daughter of the former Labour leader John Smith and her mother is also a Labour peer.

And Baroness Blake, who is a whip in the House of Lords, has a daughter, Olivia, who was elected as a Labour MP in July.

Housing minister Alex Norris’s wife Emma Foody was elected for Labour in July.

And fellow newbie MP Imogen Walker — the Chancellor’s Commons aide — is married to Sir Keir’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney.

He ousted former Chief of Staff Sue Gray, whose son Liam Conlon was elected to Parliament this year as a Labour member.

Last night Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart said: “Here’s Labour’s new aristocracy laid bare — it’s all who you know or are related to.”

A Labour insider said: “People tend to get into Labour politics quite young, and then spend their time hanging out with their ­Labour comrades so often that it makes sense to marry one.

“For others, the parental or spouse connections can help them get a foot in the door or a leap up the ladder.”

A Downing Street spokesman said: “To rebuild Britain and deliver the change our country needs will require talent, expertise and creativity. We won’t hesitate to make sure the right people are around the table.”

• THE new ministerial register of interests also revealed Energy Minister Kerry McCarthy has donated to Greenpeace — whose controversial tactics have included scaling the roof of Mr Sunak’s family home last year.