Andy Burnham is set to unveil his Cabinet on Monday afternoon after taking over from Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. The former Mayor of Greater Manchester has faced a tough choice over who to appoint as his Chancellor, with Rachel Reeves widely expected to leave the post.
Miliband and Mahmood in the Running
Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband was initially seen as a frontrunner to take over at the helm of the Treasury. But some of Mr Burnham’s key allies are said to have warned against the appointment. Mr Miliband lost the 2015 general election to David Cameron’s Conservatives and is seen by some people within the Labour Party as too ideological.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was instead favoured by some Labour MPs to be Chancellor instead of Mr Miliband. But she is said to want to stay at the Home Office to complete her controversial immigration reforms.
Several other candidates have been mooted as possible contenders for the Chancellor post, including Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.
Miliband’s Renewables Announcement Fuels Speculation
Amid the frenzy of speculation over who would get the job, Mr Miliband trumpeted his green revolution mid-morning on Monday, before Mr Burnham was due to head to Buckingham Palace to be invited by the King to form a new Government. In a post on X, he messaged: "Big day today.."Our latest renewables auction opens up."Building on two record breaking auctions that have secured enough power for 23 million homes."Delivering energy security, good jobs, lower bills and climate action."
His post inevitably raised the question over whether he would have put out such a message if he was about to be appointed Chancellor within hours.
Former Minister Defends Miliband
Former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Hutton defended Mr Miliband in the row over whether he should be Chancellor. He said the Doncaster North MP, who grew up in north London, was "much more nuanced a politician" than the one portrayed by some people as driven by ideology.
Resignations and Speculation
Ahead of Mr Burnham starting his appointments, prisons minister Lord James Timpson resigned from the Government, according to the BBC. Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet, also triggered speculation that he may be leaving the Treasury by posting on X a series of achievements. He messaged: "I'm proud of the improvements HMRC has made over the last year. "Phone waits down to 10 minutes, from 24 minutes under Tories. "5 million users of our app in the latest 3 months Big new focus on going after dodgy High Street businesses."
Regional Appointments Expected
Mr Burnham was expected to appoint more MPs from the regions to key Cabinet posts as part of his landmark devolution of power. So a number of London MPs appeared vulnerable to being moved from their current jobs including Communities Secretary Steve Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North, Justice Secretary David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, and Health Secretary James Murray, MP for Ealing North.
Ilford North MP Wes Streeting, who resigned as Health Secretary from Sir Keir’s government, and Peckham MP Miatta Fahnbulleh, were both expected to be given key posts in Mr Burnham’s Government.
Former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh (MP for Sheffield Heeley), Labour Deputy Leader Lucy Powell (Manchester Central), Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy (Wigan) and Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley are all expected to get significant roles.
