Labour chief Ng Chee Meng will also return to Cabinet; MTI renamed to reflect growing focus on energy
[SINGAPORE] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday (Jul 22) announced a wide-ranging Cabinet reshuffle with numerous changes to ministerial portfolios, promotions and new political office appointments, including that of K Shanmugam as Senior Minister.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry will also be renamed as the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, to reflect its growing focus on energy matters.
The changes come just two days after the resignation of Faishal Ibrahim, who was Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.
This followed his admitting to a “lapse of judgment” in his interactions with a woman, which he said fell short of the standards expected of a political officeholder.
He was succeeded on Monday by Zaqy Mohamad, the Senior Minister of State for Defence as well as Sustainability and the Environment.
The departure of Faishal, who was also Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, left the Cabinet short of two officeholders. Former Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health Koh Poh Koon stepped down in May, citing family reasons.
This is PM Wong’s second Cabinet reshuffle since becoming prime minister in 2024, and the first since unveiling his first full Cabinet following the 2025 General Election.
PM Wong said the changes were also made as part of the government’s ongoing leadership transition, “with younger and newer members of the team ready to take on larger responsibilities”.
The majority of the changes will take effect on Jul 27.
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Labour chief Ng Chee Meng was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Ng had asked not to be given a government appointment when the Cabinet was last reshuffled in May 2025, so that he could focus on the labour movement and his Jalan Kayu SMC.
At the time, PM Wong called the omission a “temporary arrangement”, noting that the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) secretary-general has traditionally held a Cabinet seat, as part of the People’s Action Party and NTUC’s “symbiotic partnership”.
On Wednesday, he said it was timely for Ng to return to government in the light of Singapore’s workforce challenges. He added that Ng would be able to “make a more impactful contribution” not just as the labour chief, but as a minister in his team.
Two backbench MPs, Foo Cexiang and Shawn Loh, were brought into government for the first time, as ministers of state.
Two acting ministers, Jeffrey Siow and David Neo, were confirmed in their existing portfolios. They have been acting ministers since May 2025 and were later appointed co-chairs of separate committees under the Economic Strategy Review.
Sim Ann, the current Senior Minister of State for Home and Foreign Affairs, will be promoted to full minister.
PM Wong said that Sim has “consistently performed well” in every role she has taken on over the years, and that her promotion reflects his confidence that she will make a bigger contribution to the government.
As for Shanmugam’s new appointment, PM Wong said this reflected Shanmugam’s role within the team, noting that he and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong were the “two most experienced members of the team”.
PM Wong added that he continues to value their counsel, and that they have an increasingly important part to play in guiding and mentoring newer and younger officeholders as the govenment works through its leadership transition.
Asked if the move signalled that Shanmugam would eventually hand over his portfolio as Minister for Home Affairs, given that the ministry now has two second ministers, PM Wong replied that such arrangements reflect a broader approach of “exposing officeholders” to different responsibilities to assess their readiness.
As for whether the reshuffle was due to his hands being forced by the two recent resignations, PM Wong said such changes were unexpected but had always been factored into his planning.
“Despite your best plans, you have to account for these unexpected changes and that’s what I have done,” he said.
He added that the reshuffle was possible because the government had built up a deeper bench over the past year.
“Because we have got a good bench now, we are able to make the adjustments, which is why I have to continually bring in people, attract people, and make sure that we have a good pipeline of leaders for Singapore.”
Key portfolio changes
- K Shanmugam will be appointed Senior Minister. He will continue to serve as Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.
- Dr Tan See Leng will be appointed Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry), but will relinquish his appointment as Minister for Manpower.
- Ng Chee Meng will be appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. He will continue serving as NTUC’s secretary-general.
- Jeffrey Siow will be confirmed in his existing portfolio as Minister for Transport. He will also be promoted to Second Minister for Finance.
- David Neo will be confirmed in his existing portfolio as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. He will also be promoted to Second Minister for Education.
- Sim Ann will be promoted to Second Minister for Home and Foreign Affairs.
- Zaqy Mohamad will remain Senior Minister of State for Defence, but will relinquish his appointment in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
- Jasmin Lau will become Acting Minister for Manpower and Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information. She will relinquish her position as Minister of State for Education.
Other appointments
- Goh Pei Ming will be appointed Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, and Social and Family Development.
- Alvin Tan will become Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and retain his position in the Ministry of National Development. He will relinquish his appointment in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
- Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim will be appointed Minister of State for Home Affairs. He will relinquish his appointment in the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
New appointments
- Foo Cexiang, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, will become Minister of State for Manpower as well as Trade and Industry.
- Shawn Loh, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, will be appointed Minister of State for Education as well as Health.
