UK House of Commons leader Powell fired by PM Starmer

LONDON (Reuters) -Lucy Powell, the leader of Britain's House of Commons, was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday as part of a wider government reshuffle triggered by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's resignation over a tax error.

Powell said Starmer had told her he intended to replace her with a new Commons leader.

"This has not been an easy time for the government. People want to see change and improvements to their difficult lives," Powell said in a statement on social media platform X.

She was first appointed to the position - mainly responsible for organising government business in parliament - after the Labour Party's landslide election win in July, 2024. Labour has since fallen behind Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK Party in opinion polls.

Scotland minister Ian Murray also left government, according to a statement he posted on X.

(Reporting by Muvija M, editing by William James)