PUBLISHED ONJuly 22, 2026 10:00 AMUPDATED21 minutes agoBYKhoo Yi-HangActing ministers David Neo and Jeffrey Siow will become full ministers in the Cabinet, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday (July 22).
Announcing the reshuffle during a press conference at the National Press Centre, PM Wong said: "We are continuing our leadership transition with younger and newer members of the team taking on larger responsibilities."
Also present at the press conference were: Goh Pei Ming, Zaqy Mohamad, Jeffrey Siow, David Neo and Jasmin Lau.
This comes after Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health, stepped down on May 22 for family reasons, while Minister-in-charge for Muslim Affairs Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim resigned on July 20 over his "lack of judgment" in handling his interactions with a woman.
Zaqy Mohamad has since taken over as Acting Minister of Muslim Affairs from Assoc Prof Faishal.
Meanwhile, Neo will be Minister for Culture, Community and Youth as well as Second Minister for Education, while Siow will be Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance.
Additionally, Sim Ann will be appointed as Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Home Affairs.
Jasmin Lau will be promoted to Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information as well as for the Ministry of Education.
Goh Pei Ming will also be promoted to Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"Stepping into political office is never easy," PM Wong said.
"There is no manual for the job and no substitute for experience. But they 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."
In response to queries regarding the resignation of Assoc Prof Faishal, PM Wong shared that evidence of his interactions with the woman left him in "disbelief and shock".
He further explained that Assoc Prof Faishal understood "he made a very serious mistake in engaging her", and that the nature of the interactions "crossed the line".
"His responses, his interactions with her, objectively speaking, were questionable and inappropriate," PM Wong stated, adding that his resignation is the right decision.
"I fully understand also the outpouring of support and sympathy for him from Singaporeans and especially from the (Malay-Muslim) community.
"He has done good work wherever he went...It's very unfortunate, but we have to move forward from here."
Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam will be appointed Senior Minister on top of his current portfolio.
Both Senior Minister Shanmugam and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will continue to provide counsel, guide and mentor younger officeholders.
In order to tackle the increasing emphasis on the importance of energy, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been renamed as Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will continue to oversee trade and broader economic strategy, while Tan See Leng's portfolio will shift to energy and industry as he relinquishes his role with the Ministry of Manpower.
Jasmin Lau will become Acting Minister for the Ministry of Manpower.
National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Ng Chee Meng, who is also Jalan Kayu SMC MP, will be appointed as Minister in Prime Minister's Office.
Commenting on this shift, PM Wong said: "Jobs and workforce transformation are among the Government's highest priorities.
"There is important work ahead for both the Government and NTUC as we help our workers navigate these changes. So I have asked Chee Meng to return to Cabinet. He will strengthen the Government team as we tackle the challenges ahead."
With changes to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Alvin Tan will be moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) ahead of Singapore taking over Chairmanship of Asean in 2027.
"It will be a demanding year for MFA, and Alvin will help to strengthen the ministry during this important period," said PM Wong.
Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim will continue as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and will also be Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Backbenchers Foo Cexiang and Shawn Loh will become Ministers of State — Foo in the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry from Sept 1, and Loh in the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health from January next year.
PM Wong added: "We identify people with the ability, the commitment and the character to serve. We give them opportunities to develop and grow, prove themselves, and entrust them with greater responsibilities as they are ready.
"That is how we build a strong team for Singapore — not just for today, but for the years ahead."
The new appointments will take effect on July 27.
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