Shanmugam to be appointed Senior Minister, will retain other ministerial positions

K Shanmugam will be appointed as Senior Minister (SM) on Jul. 27.

He will continue to hold his appointments as Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.

Shanmugam is the first senior minister to take on the position while simultaneously overseeing other ministerial portfolios.

The new appointment was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the Cabinet reshuffle on Jul. 22.

New title

Shanmugam entered politics in 1988 and was first appointed a Cabinet minister on May 1, 2008.

He is one of the longest-serving ministers in the Cabinet under the People’s Action Party (PAP).

The lawyer by profession served as the Minister for Law from 2008 to 2025, and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2015.

He took on the Coordinating Minister appointment and relinquished his Law portfolio in the last Cabinet reshuffle in May 21, 2025.

Senior ministers

Shanmugam is the first senior minister to retain other ministerial portfolios while serving in the position.

The only other senior minister in the current Cabinet is former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

SM Lee was appointed a senior minister after he stepped down as prime minister on May 15, 2024, relinquishing the role to current PM Lawrence Wong.

During a press conference announcing the Cabinet reshuffle, PM Wong said that Shanmugan and SM Lee are the two most experienced members of his team.

"They continue to provide valuable counsel and will help guide and mentor our younger officeholders," he said.