From fraudster Haigh to shock pick Healey…everything you need to know about Burnham’s Cabinet & what it means

ANDY Burnham finalised his top team yesterday evening after executing a brutal purge of Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet allies. Now Mr Burnham will hold his first cabinet after officially becoming Prime Minister this afternoon. Andy Burnham will host his first cabinet today after officially becoming Prime Minister on Monday morning Credit: Crown Copyright John Healey is the new Chancellor – replacing Rachel Reeves Credit: Getty Images But who are the new figures who will oversee the economy, the UK’s borders and energy policy – and where do they sit on the political spectrum? John Healey – Chancellor Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! In a major surprise to Westminster onlookers, Mr Healey was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer after Rachel Reeves was sacked. The former defence secretary was scathing of Sir Keir Starmer after he failed to set a date of when defence spending would be boosted to 3 per cent of GDP. He is seen as a moderate in the Labour Party and was a member of a group called Labour First – originally set up to take on the Hard Left. Mr Healey was first elected as an MP in 1997 and served as a Treasury minister under Tony Blair between 2002-2007. His appointment won plaudits across the political spectrum, including from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey. Louise Haigh – First Secretary of State Most read in The Sun Ms Haigh has been appointed First Secretary of State, essentially taking on the role as COO of the UK. She will act as Mr Burnham’s deputy, stepping in for when he’s away and helping different cabinet ministers work together when their roles overlap. Sheffield-born Ms Haigh is a close friend and ally of Mr Burnham having helped plot his route back to Westminster for “at least the last year”. Sir Keir Starmer sacked her as transport secretary after she admitted to being a convicted fraudster after telling cops her phone was stolen. Sheffield-born Louise Haigh is a close friend and ally of Mr Burnham having helped plot his route back to Westminster for “at least the last year” Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock Ms Haigh was criticised in her role as transport secretary after handing striking train drivers billions in pay rises in the very week pensioners were robbed of their winter fuel payments. Angela Rayner – Housing Secretary After dramatically leaving Government last year, Ms Rayner finally has her old job back as Housing Secretary. She left her role as cabinet minister after it was revealed she underpaid £40,000 on a flat in Hove. Angela Rayner has returned to the Cabinet Credit: Reuters Ms Rayner claimed she had been “exonerated” by HMRC after paying back the shortfall — and received no penalty. While she was out of Government she made increasingly Left-wing noises, calling immigration reforms to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) as “un-British”. Ms Rayner never had the numbers to launch a leadership bid of her own, so she ended up rowing in behind Mr Burnham. Ed Miliband – Foreign Secretary Net Zero zealot Ed Miliband has been moved from the Energy department to the Foreign Office. He will pick up the reins as Foreign Secretary while the brutal war in Ukraine continues and the crisis in the Middle East unfolds. Mr Miliband, who led the Labour Party between 2010-2015, was highly tipped to be appointed as Chancellor, as Left-wing Labour MPs lobbied him for the role. He will now be globe trotting to act as a representative of the UK on the world stage. Ed Miliband had been tipped as a contender for Chancellor Credit: Alamy Mr Miliband was seen as instrumental in getting Mr Burnham back into Parliament and told Sir Keir that the game was up early on. Wes Streeting – Defence Secretary Mr Streeting served as Sir Keir’s health secretary before spectacularly resigning after Labour’s disastrous set of local elections results in May. He was seen as a relatively successful Health Secretary after bringing NHS waiting lists down and is one of the party’s better communicators. Wes Streeting was given a big job at Defence Secretary Credit: AFP via Getty Images The ex-cabinet minister stood down from Government after declaring he had no confidence in Sir Keir’s leadership. He was seen as a potential front runner for the Labour leadership until Mr Burnham won his seat in Makerfield last month. Mr Streeting rowed in behind him and has been rewarded as Defence Secretary. Shabana Mahmood – Home Secretary Ms Mahmood has seen an extraordinary rise from Justice Secretary in 2024 to Home Secretary in 2025. She is a hardliner on migration having announced plans to double the amount of time it takes to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which gives migrants the rights to claim benefits and live in the UK permanently. Ms Mahmood is seen to be on the right of the party on social and cultural issues, but was also highly tipped for job of Chancellor. She was one of the first ministers to privately call for Sir Keir to set out a timeline for his resignation. Shabana Mahmood kept her job as Home Sec Credit: EPA ANALYSIS: So what does Andy's Cabinet mean? By Tom Scotson, Political Correspondent After celebrating with his northern supporters outside Downing Street, Andy Burnham had to crack on with the first difficult task of his premiership – upsetting MPs. The new Prime Minister had to finalise who would be in his top team and, most importantly, take the coveted job of Chancellor. Labour MPs and Westminster insiders were quietly surprised John Healey was picked for the top job in the Treasury. But across the party he is seen as a smart pick for several reasons. The Tories will find it harder to throw mud at him after praising Mr Healey for resigning as Defence Secretary last month, lambasting Sir Keir Starmer for failing to set a date for when the UK should spend three per cent of GDP on defence. He is also on the traditional Right of the party too, and will be more in touch with the public mood than someone like eco-zealot Ed Miliband, who is willing to destroy the economy in his pursuit of Net Zero. Instead Mr Miliband was plonked in as foreign secretary, now out of sight and out of mind for Mr Burnham. This could prove vital for the PM when things get rocky, as Mr Miliband still maintains huge respect on the Labour backbenchers. Fundamentally, the Cabinet is more mixed in terms of ideology than many thought. It includes embattled Left-wingers such as Louise Haigh, Angela Rayner and Lucy Powell. But Mr Burnham has made the eminently sensible decision to keep Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary, who is continuing to crack down on legal and illegal migration. 2 comments2