Singapore PM Wong unveils new Cabinet

SINGAPORE – Newer and younger political office-holders will take on more responsibilities while continuing to work with experienced hands, in a Cabinet reshuffle announced on the back of recent political resignations.

In unveiling the latest line-up, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on July 22 that Singapore needs both experienced leaders to steer the country through immediate challenges, and a new generation ready to take it forward.

GE2025 newcomers Jeffrey Siow and David Neo will be promoted to full minister, while Sim Ann will become Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs.

Another first-term politician, Jasmin Lau, will helm the Manpower Ministry as acting minister, with Tan See Leng relinquishing the portfolio. He will take on the post of Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry).

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng returns to Cabinet as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and K. Shanmugam will be Senior Minister, PM Wong said.

Two backbench MPs and former senior civil servants – Foo Cexiang and Shawn Loh – will become ministers of state. The pair are first-term MPs.

The ruling party is continuing its leadership transition, PM Wong said, adding that he has worked closely with the new office-holders over the past year. Siow has been Acting Transport Minister since the last set of Cabinet changes in May 2025, while Neo has been Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.

They will remain in these ministries after their promotions.

The changes will take effect progressively from July 27, with some kicking in later.

PM Wong said: “Stepping into political office is never easy. There is no manual for the job, and no substitute for experience.

“But they (new office-holders) have settled into their roles well, earned the confidence of their colleagues and of the civil servants they work with, and shown that they are ready for greater responsibilities.”

Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Centre, he addressed the timing of the reshuffle, saying that the composition of the Cabinet is reviewed annually, but unexpected changes also have to be taken into account.

There have been two political resignations in 2026 so far, he noted.

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim resigned on July 20 over a “lapse of judgment” in handling his interactions with a woman. He was also Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs.

Before that, senior minister of state Koh Poh Koon stepped down from political office on June 1, citing family reasons.

PM Wong said he took these into account in reshuffling the Cabinet, and unexpected changes mean that the Government has to continue building a “strong pipeline”.

“It is not just the ministers; you need younger office-holders, you need good backbenchers.”

On Shanmugam’s appointment to Senior Minister, the PM said Shanmugam and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong are the two most experienced members of Cabinet.

As the Government goes through a leadership transition, PM Wong said he continues to value their counsel, and they increasingly have a role to play to guide and mentor younger office-holders.

PM Wong also addressed a question on his decision not to appoint a second deputy prime minister alongside Gan Kim Yong.

He said the current structure provides a strong senior leadership team, but the situation is always evolving and as leadership renewal continues, it will continue to be reviewed.

The current structure is appropriate, he noted, adding that the Cabinet also has three coordinating ministers.

Shanmugam is one, as Coordinating Minister for National Security, and PM Wong in May 2025 also appointed Chan Chun Sing and Ong Ye Kung to the position overseeing other parts of Government.

Shanmugam will retain this role, and carry on as Home Affairs Minister – the first senior minister to continue to helm a ministry.

PM Wong also addressed a question on continuing in the finance portfolio, which he has held since 2021. “I am always looking to find someone who will be ready to be finance minister,” he said, describing his search for a successor as a “work in progress”.

Asked how he sees the core of the party’s next generation of leaders taking shape, PM Wong said he had asked office-holders from the latest batch to come to the press conference to show Singaporeans that renewal is happening.

PM Wong was flanked by Siow and Neo.

Lau, and another GE2025 newcomer Goh Pei Ming, who was promoted to senior minister of state, were also there, along with Zaqy Mohamad, who took over as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs from Faishal.

The new office-holders are doing well, and over time more of the PAP’s fifth generation of leadership will emerge from this process, said PM Wong, who is also the party’s secretary-general.

People develop at different paces, and some are ready for larger appointments earlier while others will take more time, he said.

“My job is to assess, to entrust them with responsibilities when they are ready, and ultimately to put people in positions where they can best contribute to Singapore,” he said.

That is what he has done with the latest round of changes, he said.

The Government will continue keeping its veterans and experienced leadership while refreshing the team. “That is the Singapore way of leadership renewal. It is a continuous process, and this announcement today reflects that continuous process.”