New Delhi [India], September 6 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Yvette Cooper on her appointment as the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

'Congratulations to @YvetteCooperMP on your appointment as UK's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Look forward to working together to continue the strong momentum of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,' Jaishankar said on Friday in a post on X.

https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1964022201893462360

Responding to her new role, Yvette Cooper said it is a 'huge honour' to serve as the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary, stressing the importance of UK diplomacy in the face of global challenges.

'It is a huge honour to serve as UK Foreign Secretary. From Russian aggression in Europe to the horrendous famine and conflict in Gaza - when UK diplomacy has never been more important. I look forward to representing and promoting British interests around the world,' Cooper posted on X.

https://x.com/YvetteCooperMP/status/1964036370076229759

Her remarks came on a day when the United Kingdom's Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned after admitting to mistakes in paying property tax, a move that has triggered new political trouble for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party, CNN reported.

Rayner, who also stepped down as deputy leader of the Labour Party and housing minister, said in her resignation letter that the intense media spotlight had made her role 'unbearable'.

'I must also consider the significant toll that the ongoing pressure of the media is taking on my family. While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly,' she wrote in her resignation letter.

Her exit has come as Labour, which won a landslide election in July 2024, faces growing pressure from Reform UK, a rising anti-immigration party that has been gaining support in opinion polls, as per CNN.

The controversy erupted after reports that Rayner failed to pay the correct property tax on an apartment she bought earlier this year in Hove, on England's southern coast.

She claimed the lapse was unintentional and due to poor legal advice. However, critics pointed to her record of attacking Conservative ministers in the past over similar scandals, with right-wing British tabloids calling her a 'hypocrite', according to CNN.

Starmer initially defended his deputy, but his support weakened as public criticism mounted, especially with Britain facing a housing crisis and Labour considering new tax measures.

CNN noted that her departure marks a significant blow for Starmer's government, which is already battling public discontent and a surge in right-wing opposition. (ANI)