Burnham sacks nearly a dozen ministers in cabinet purge as he becomes PM

Andy Burnham has sacked nearly a dozen senior ministers from Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet in what he called a purge to deliver “the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years”. The new Labour leader, who takes over as prime minister on Monday after being received by King Charles III, announced John Healey as chancellor and brought back Angela Rayner in a major reshuffle. Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood had been widely thought to be in the running for the top Treasury job, but Burnham instead turned to Healey. Asked why he had not revealed his top team earlier, Burnham said: “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 added that he was “finalising those decisions” and would announce them on Monday. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who returned to Parliament only a month ago in a by-election, cemented his leadership after being backed by 379 Labour MPs and all 11 affiliated trade unions. In his first speech as leader at the TUC headquarters, he promised to give “hope back” to working-class communities and vowed to reindustrialise the country, rejecting the “neoliberal” policies of the past 40 years. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Burnham “comes in with absolutely no mandate of any kind at all” and called for an immediate general election. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed Burnham’s call for a more collaborative politics, saying his “door is open” and highlighting the need for changes to the water industry, NHS and social care. Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock said the new cabinet signalled “merit” and “capability”. Burnham’s government promises the biggest change in decades, but critics question his mandate after taking over mid-parliament.