Andy Burnham will take over as prime minister on Monday with his cabinet still under wraps – but speculation is mounting that David Miliband could be handed the foreign secretary role. The new Labour leader, who cemented his position this week after being backed by 379 Labour MPs and all 11 trade unions, said he was “finalising those decisions” and would announce his top team on Monday.
Burnham’s return to Parliament just a month ago in a by-election was followed by an uncontested leadership election, confirmed at a special conference in London by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In his first speech as party leader at the TUC headquarters, he vowed to deliver “the most significant change” in British politics for 40 years, rejecting the “neoliberal” policies of the past and promising to devolve power away from Westminster.
“Andy Burnham finalises cabinet as reports suggest David Miliband may return as foreign secretary.”
“We won’t beat Britain’s new right if we are consumed by infighting,” he told Labour MPs, calling for a culture of “one Labour team”. He said his cabinet would reflect “all parts of our party” and “all communities”. But asked why he had not yet announced his top team, 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.”
Reports suggest David Miliband, who spent more than a decade running the refugee charity International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the United States, is being lined up for foreign secretary. The 60-year-old used a lecture at the London School of Economics to back Burnham’s devolution agenda, calling the “big change” “long overdue”. His return would bring back a trusted political operator with contacts, freeing the incoming PM to focus on domestic issues, according to reports.
But the speculation has drawn criticism. 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 “so the country can decide the future”. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed Burnham’s call for a more collaborative politics, saying “my door is open”, but stressed his party would push for changes to the water industry, NHS and social care.
Burnham, who will meet King Charles III on Monday before taking over from Sir Keir Starmer, said his government would give “hope back” to working-class communities. As he finalises his cabinet over the weekend, the pressure is on to deliver on his promise of the biggest change in decades – and to decide whether David Miliband is part of that change.