David Miliband has said he is “optimistic” about the prospect of Andy Burnham becoming the next prime minister, praising the expected Labour leader’s “openness and energy” as a “very attractive and positive” trait.
The former foreign secretary, speaking at a think tank event in London on Friday, also welcomed the appointment of the former Labour cabinet minister James Purnell as Burnham’s Downing Street chief of staff, calling it “fantastic”.
“David Miliband voices optimism about Andy Burnham as PM while chancellor choice between Ed Miliband and Wes Streeting looms.”
“Andy Burnham, James and I came into the House of Commons at the same time in 2001 and I think he has always had this remarkable ability to listen, to connect, to process data and ideas and information,” Miliband said at the event organised by the Center for Global Development.
While Miliband ruled out a return to front-line politics as an MP – he quit as MP for South Shields in 2013 to run the International Rescue Committee – speculation persists that he could join Burnham’s cabinet via a peerage, a route used by David Cameron when he became foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak. A person who knows Miliband told the BBC he would be “a massive asset to Andy Burnham’s cabinet”, citing his work on foreign affairs, humanitarian action and climate change.
But the bigger decision facing Burnham this weekend is who will be his chancellor, according to people who claim to know his mind. The choice is personal and politically huge: get it wrong and Burnham could face a market crisis before he even enters Number 10.
Harriet Harman has publicly backed Ed Miliband for the job, saying the energy secretary should become Burnham’s chancellor. The New Statesman reports that the most obvious candidates are Wes Streeting from the centre right and Ed Miliband from the centre left. Streeting is the favourite with Ladbrokes, but has not lobbied for the role, while Ed Miliband faces fierce press attacks over his net zero policies and bond market scrutiny. “It’s actually unfair, but the question is, can Ed get beyond the vicious caricature of him?” a senior MP told the New Statesman.
The current chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is said to be fighting a forlorn rearguard action. “Not Rachel,” a Burnham backer told the New Statesman. Burnham, who is expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, has not promised the job to anyone and is likely to decide over the weekend in Manchester.