Andy Burnham's first day in Downing Street will see a major shake-up to the Cabinet. The new prime minister is expected to make significant changes as he assumes office following the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer.
New Chancellor Expected
Mr Burnham is expected to appoint a new chancellor to replace Rachel Reeves, who appears to have conceded that she will not be staying on in the role. Both Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood have been tipped as contenders to head up the Treasury.
Other senior Labour figures who could serve important roles in Mr Burnham's government include former transport secretary Louise Haigh and former health secretary Wes Streeting, who had previously been seen as his main contender for Labour leadership.
Timing of Appointments
The incoming prime minister has remained tight-lipped about who will be in his top team, despite repeated questioning during his leadership campaign. On Friday, shortly after making his first address as the new Labour leader, Mr Burnham defended himself, saying it would have been 'chaos' to announce appointments before being handed the No 10 keys.
"You do that when you do take over. You make those decisions, and it would be somewhat premature and would I think cause complete chaos if you start half a reshuffle before you're in the position," he said. He confirmed he would be finalising his choices over the weekend before assigning his Cabinet on his first day in Downing Street on Monday.
Unity Pledge
Mr Burnham has pledged that his Cabinet will include all parts of the Labour Party in a bid to "move beyond" factionalism. He said he would not seek to "suspend or punish members who have principled views that may be different from mine" and will build unity by "respecting all shades of opinion".
Contenders for Top Jobs
Ed Miliband
Energy secretary Ed Miliband is seen as a leading contender for the role of chancellor but his appointment could be a controversial one. Mr Miliband, who has a background in economics having previously served as a Treasury adviser under Gordon Brown, is considered less favourably by financial markets than other contenders over fears he would be less fiscally disciplined.
Some trade unionists and city traders have reportedly urged Mr Burnham against appointing Mr Miliband as chancellor, because they believe his net zero policies to be damaging. However, reports suggest Mr Miliband would be willing to change his tune on North Sea drilling and drop his opposition to the Jackdaw and oil and gas field to secure the role. Another Cabinet position that Mr Miliband has been linked to is foreign secretary.
Shabana Mahmood
Ms Mahmood, the current home secretary, could be a more centrist option for replacing Ms Reeves as chancellor. The BBC's political correspondent Iain Watson suggested the move might serve to reassure markets. According to the Guardian, Ms Mahmood is understood to have spoken to Mr Burnham in recent days, but her allies insisted she had not yet been told if she was going to the Treasury or not.
In her current role, Ms Mahmood is overseeing Labour's plans to reform the asylum system. Mr Burnham voted in favour of the reforms days before being announced as the new Labour leader. It makes it likely that Ms Mahmood could also retain her role as home secretary in order to see the changes through. In recent days, Mr Burnham signalled he was happy with her efforts to change the law to allow for the deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed, tweeting his approval that it was the "correct decision".
Louise Haigh
Louise Haigh was instrumental in Mr Burnham's campaign to win the Makerfield by-election. The former transport secretary left her post in 2024 after it emerged she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013. She recently revealed she had been planning Mr Burnham's ascent to No 10 since last year. Reports suggest she may be heading up the Cabinet Office as Mr Burnham's chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
She recently praised Mr Burnham for committing to shifting politics away from a 'boy's club' culture. She said the former mayor had been "really clear in the by-election that he wasn't going to do traditional point scoring, that there wasn't going to be a negative campaign, even against the Reform candidate".
Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper is the current foreign secretary, a role which she could be keeping hold of. She penned an essay in recent weeks setting out her stall in her current job, including calling for global regulation of artificial intelligence. Ms Cooper could be Mr Burnham's ideal continuity candidate as he has signalled he will stick to Sir Keir's plans for closer ties with the EU, committing to Nato and the nuclear deterrent and supporting Ukraine.
Wes Streeting
Former health secretary Wes Streeting could make a return to Cabinet after resigning from Sir Keir's government. Some reports suggest Mr Streeting could have made a deal with Mr Burnham in exchange for ruling himself out of the running to replace the prime minister.
Lucy Powell
Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, has been a prominent backer of Mr Burnham. She has signalled that she would be interested in returning to the front bench after being dismissed as Leader of the House of Commons in September last year. Reports suggest she could be drafted in to fill the role of deputy prime minister, a role currently filled by justice secretary David Lammy. If she is, the role could involve operating Mr Burnham's new northern No 10 in Manchester.
Angela Rayner
Ashton's Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, is likely to return to Cabinet after she was cleared over her tax affairs. Mr Burnham will focus on devolution as a cornerstone of his premiership, a policy area Ms Rayner is experienced in from her former brief as housing, communities and local government secretary. Backing his plans, she said she wanted to see "a much deeper cultural change" in how Britain is governed. She claimed her work on English devolution had helped to set the direction for moving powers out of Westminster, but has insisted ministers needed to go further by "making devolution the default".
Other Possible Cabinet Members
Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley has only been in Parliament for two years, but has been a central figure in Mr Burnham's inner circle. She has a background as a senior trade union and Labour Party official. Miatta Fahnbulleh, a former housing minister who resigned in protest at Sir Keir's leadership, could be handed a Cabinet position after assisting Mr Burnham in fleshing out his policy plans. Jonathan Reynolds, the chief whip, is reportedly hoping to return to his former post of business secretary. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, whose Greater Manchester constituency of Wigan borders Mr Burnham's, has been seen as something of an outsider in Sir Keir's government and is likely to remain in Cabinet when Mr Burnham takes over.
Sir Keir Starmer's Future
Sir Keir, meanwhile, is unlikely to make the cut. The outgoing prime minister is expected to stay on the back benches despite some initial speculation that he could be offered an international role such as foreign secretary. No 10 played down the prospect, indicating that he would stay on as an MP on the back benches for the rest of this Parliament. Asked whether he would take a Cabinet job if he was offered one, his political spokesman said he had told his ministers that "this is the end of my journey, but this is not the end of yours".
