Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham swapped his suit for a kitchen apron to slice up vegetables for a charity breakfast at The Passage in Victoria, central London, just hours before launching a ruthless cabinet reshuffle that saw several of Sir Keir Starmer's top team replaced.
Charity Work Before the Night of Long Knives
Burnham looked at ease behind the chopping board as he prepared breakfast and lunch for rough sleepers, proving he's a true 'champignon' of the people. However, the mushrooms were merely a warm-up for the loyalists of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who faced a brutal overhaul later that night.
Speaking on the doorstep of No. 10, Burnham insisted his first order of business would be tackling homelessness. He said: 'We will help people to live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people's success rather than paying for failure. And that work starts now. I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction: to end rough sleeping in our country.'
Experience as Greater Manchester Mayor
Burnham's morning on kitchen duty came after he joined charity workers on the streets for their daily check-in with rough sleepers. He told The Passage's chief executive, Mick Clarke, that he had 'seen your world from the ground' during his time as Greater Manchester mayor.
'When you have that experience, you can do something with it when you are back at the national level,' he added. 'You change lives everyday (here).' He acknowledged that fixing the crisis meant getting everyone on board, drawing on the spirit of the Covid pandemic. 'It taught me that the only way is to do this together. Everybody pulling in the same direction, everyone in, as we did in the pandemic - because we did bring people inside in the pandemic and that's what I'm saying as I go into government today.'
Cabinet Reshuffle Details
Former deputy PM Angela Rayner made a sensational return to government as Housing Secretary, just 10 months after quitting Starmer's administration following a tearful admission over her stamp duty. Meanwhile, former defence secretary John Healey replaced Rachel Reeves as Chancellor, with Ed Miliband landing Foreign Secretary.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting, who quit Starmer's team and was tipped for the top job before backing Burnham, was made Defence Secretary. With Healey previously demanding more cash for the armed forces, one Labour veteran joked Burnham can now tell his new Chancellor: 'You wanted the money for defence? Great. Go find it.'
Casualties of the Reshuffle
Starmer's former Chancellor Rachel Reeves was the biggest casualty of the reshuffle. Despite reportedly snubbing the Defence job, she took to X to pledge her support for Burnham: 'I wish the very best of luck to my successor, Andy and his cabinet. You have my full support, and I will continue to play my part in helping this Labour government deliver the change the country needs.'
She was later spotted having a drink with ousted PM Sir Keir at a local pub, where Keir clutched a pint while Rachel grinned over glasses of wine as they drowned their sorrows.
International Support
Canadian PM Mark Carney, another Everton fanatic, backed his fellow Blue, saying: 'I look forward to working with Prime Minister Burnham to build greater security, stability, and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.'
Whether Burnham can slice through Britain's big issues remains to be seen, but he has certainly proved he knows how to handle a blade.
