Sir Patrick Vallance, a former government advisor, has been appointed as the Minister of State for Science, Research, and Innovation by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, showcasing a move towards a 'government of all talents'. Additionally, former cabinet ministers Jacqui Smith and Douglas Alexander have been given junior ministerial roles in Starmer's administration. The appointment of James Timpson as the Prisons Minister underlines Starmer's new cabinet's focus on expertise and reform in critical areas like the criminal justice system, aiming for positive change and rehabilitation of offenders. However, some critics, including lockdown sceptics, have raised concerns about Sir Vallance's appointment, questioning the seriousness of Starmer's approach to change and the handling of past Covid policies.