Andy Burnham has appointed his first cabinet, rewarding loyalists while purging allies of his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer – a clearout that saw John Healey handed the Treasury in a surprise move, and the abolition of the technology department despite elevating its AI minister to the top table.
Healey, 66, who quit as defence secretary under Starmer over funding, becomes chancellor less than two months later. The job had widely been expected to go to Ed Miliband or Shabana Mahmood. Instead, Burnham turned to a former Treasury minister under Tony Blair who shares his ambitions for reindustrialisation and devolution. Healey now faces the task of making the government’s spending plans add up.
“Burnham appoints Healey as chancellor, scraps tech department, elevates AI minister, and brings Sarwar into government.”
Louise Haigh, one of Burnham’s closest allies, becomes chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, first secretary of state and Cabinet Office minister – tasked with running the department that co-ordinates government policy. Haigh, the former transport secretary who resigned under Starmer, was described by then-Speaker John Bercow as having “terrier-like intensity”.
Shabana Mahmood keeps her role as home secretary, having been appointed by Starmer last year to drive through controversial immigration policies. She is considered on the Blue Labour right of the party.
The biggest structural change came with the scrapping of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, created by the Conservative government in 2023. Its responsibilities will be split between other departments, meaning there is no longer a dedicated technology secretary. The post had been held by Liz Kendall until she was sacked.
However, AI Minister Kanishka Narayan – appointed by Starmer – will now attend cabinet. Narayan, born in India and raised in Cardiff, said the invitation was “a sign of his deep commitment to AI’s importance”. Dom Hallas of the Startup Coalition called the abolition “clearly a bad thing” but praised Narayan’s knowledge of start-ups. Professor Gina Neff of Cambridge University said the elevation sent a signal the prime minister was “serious about having someone serious in this key role”.
In another appointment, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is to join the government as a minister, according to the Evening Standard.
Burnham, who won the backing of 379 of Labour’s 403 MPs to replace Starmer, has pledged to shift power from Whitehall, introduce greater public control of water and energy, and build more council houses – while keeping Labour’s pledge not to raise main rates of income tax or national insurance. He has also announced plans to remove VAT from electricity bills.
Born in Aintree in 1970, Burnham was inspired by the miners’ strike to join Labour as a teen. He first became an MP in 2001, served as health secretary, twice failed to become party leader, then served as Greater Manchester mayor before returning to Parliament in June. He succeeded Starmer a month later.
Despite his popularity, polling suggests the “Burnham bounce” may be limited. According to the New Statesman, his favourability rating is just 28 per cent – lower than David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson when they entered No 10. Twenty-nine per cent feel negatively towards him, with many undecided.
The prime minister’s wife, Marie-France van Heel – known as Frankie – was by his side outside No 10, though she appeared reluctant to join him in the limelight. The couple met at Cambridge University in the late 1980s, married in 2000, and have three children.
