Former Board of Deputies Chief Executive Baroness Gillian Merron is among several new Jewish ministers in Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

Merron, who led the Board between 2014-2021, was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety and Life Sciences in the Department of Health and Social Care.

She was appointed to the House of Lords in May 2021 and had served on the Labour frontbench and had previously been the Labour MP for Lincoln between 1997-2010.

Baroness Merron told the JC: “I am delighted to have been appointed by the Prime Minister as a Minister in the Department of Health and Social Care.

“The NHS is broken and so is social care. They will not be easy to fix, and it will take time, but I am looking forward to the challenge and I am honoured to be part of a government that is committed to ensuring everyone receives the care they deserve.

“I am also truly proud to see so many fantastic Jewish Parliamentarians appointed to this Government’s Ministerial team. They will make a wonderful contribution along with the many Jewish MPs who have been elected.”

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies told the JC: "We congratulate our former Chief Executive, Baroness Merron, as she returns to Government as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care.

"We know that she will bring great expertise and energy to the Department. Mazal Tov!"

In an unusual move, the new Labour Prime Minister also appointed several ministers from the fresh intake of MPs elected at the recent general election.

Among those was Georgia Gould, the new MP for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale. She was made a Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office.

The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) welcomed her appointment. They tweeted “We are so proud of our member @Georgia_Gould who will make a brilliant parliamentary secretary at the Cabinet Office Mazal tov Georgia and wishing you every success.”

New Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman was appointed as Solicitor General.

Lawyer and MP Sarah Sackman

She told the JC: "After 14 years of Conservative government we need to restore people’s trust in the rule of law and in the integrity of politics.

“I am delighted to be able to do this through my casework, surgeries and community campaigning alongside my portfolio as Solicitor General.

“My constituents deserve to see change both on the ground in Finchley and Golders Green, and in the integrity of Westminster politics. It is now my job to help deliver both.

“People need a visible, accessible MP who is on their side. As I said in my acceptance speech I will be a local champion and public servant."

They join Richard Hermer, who is also Jewish, who was appointed as Attorney General last week

Hermer, a member of Alyth Synagogue, opposed the Conservative government’s anti-BDS legislation in 2023.

In a statement to the JC last year, Hermer said he came from a “Blue-Box Jewish family” and "actively supports a range of Jewish and Israeli organisations.”