Andy Burnham has rebuked two of his cabinet ministers after they were caught on camera joking about releasing prisoners, as new cabinet rankings showed his de facto deputy Louise Haigh sits third in the government hierarchy.
The moment was captured on Tuesday, when broadcasters were invited to film members of Burnham’s cabinet chatting ahead of their first meeting. In the footage, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting can be heard telling Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood that new Justice Secretary Alex Norris “wants to let them all out”. The pair then share a laugh.
“Andy Burnham rebukes Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood for joking about prisoner releases as cabinet rankings show Louise Haigh is third most senior.”
Asked whether it was appropriate for his ministers to be joking about early release, Burnham told reporters: “No it’s not, and certainly that’s been acknowledged and apologies have been made.”
Streeting later apologised in a post on X, saying he had been referencing a joke Theresa May used to make about Ken Clarke when the two of them occupied the same cabinet posts in a Conservative government. “I hope everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new justice secretary,” he wrote. “But I appreciate these are very serious issues and am sorry for any offence inadvertently caused by this moment of levity.”
Mahmood released a similar comment, adding: “I appreciate this is an extremely serious issue and do not want anyone to mistake this moment of levity for a lack of serious intent.”
The remarks, first published by Metro journalist Craig Munro, drew sharp criticism from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who accused the pair of making light of the government’s scheme to release some prisoners early to ease prison overcrowding. “While Andy Burnham’s cabinet are joking about letting criminals out of prison early, Conservatives are listening to victims and will continue to fight this disgusting policy,” she wrote on X.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it was “right” that Streeting had apologised, adding that “those remarks don’t reflect the seriousness with which all of them will approach matters relating to public safety”.
The controversy unfolded as the Government’s website published a ranking of cabinet ministers, placing Louise Haigh – widely seen as Burnham’s de facto deputy – as the third most senior figure in Government, behind the Prime Minister and Chancellor John Healey. The list showed Haigh sits ahead of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The rankings provided a fresh reminder of the hierarchy within Burnham’s cabinet, even as the prime minister moved to stamp out any suggestion that his ministers were treating serious policy issues lightly.