David Miliband has declared himself “optimistic” about the prospect of Andy Burnham becoming the next prime minister, as the incoming Labour leader faces a high-stakes decision over who will be his chancellor that could define his government. Speaking at a think tank event in London on Friday, the former foreign secretary praised Burnham’s “openness and energy”, calling it “very attractive and positive” – a striking endorsement from the elder brother of the man tipped to take the Treasury. Miliband, who quit as an MP in 2013 to run the International Rescue Committee, also hailed the expected appointment of James Purnell as Burnham’s Downing Street chief of staff as “fantastic”. “I haven’t lost my youthful optimism,” he told the Center for Global Development event. “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.”
The warm words come as Burnham prepares to make his biggest choice yet: who will succeed Rachel Reeves as chancellor. According to the New Statesman, people who claim to know his mind expect him to decide this weekend, with market uncertainty through next week threatening to become a major story in itself. “No promises have been made to anybody,” the report notes. The decision is described as “personal, even intimate” – a relationship that could be either creative or toxic, evoking Blair-Brown tensions or a smoother Cameron-Osborne partnership. The most obvious candidates are Wes Streeting from the centre-right and Ed Miliband from the centre-left. Against Streeting is the fact that he has made no secret of his appetite for the top job, making Burnham potentially nervous. Against Ed Miliband is a fierce campaign by the right-wing press and union leaders’ attacks over his net zero policies. “It’s actually unfair, but the question is, can Ed get beyond the vicious caricature of him?” one senior MP told the New Statesman.
“David Miliband says he is optimistic about a Burnham government, while the chancellor choice looms large.”
Kemi Badenoch has already made her view clear. The Conservative MP branded Ed Miliband a “disaster” for Britain, comparing him to a Nigerian military dictator in a brutal energy tirade, and said Burnham should sack the energy secretary instead of promoting him. Meanwhile, David Miliband sidestepped questions about whether he would join a Burnham government, despite speculation he could return to front-line politics via a peerage – a route taken by David Cameron when he became foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak. Asked what message he had for the next prime minister, Miliband said: “My message is of course to read the IRC’s publications because they provide such an evidence-based and innovative and cost-effective way of serving the most vulnerable.” When asked if he had been in contact with Burnham’s team recently, he did not reply. One 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. As Burnham weighs his options – and markets watch – the shape of his government, and its potential to survive its first crisis, hangs in the balance.