Who's in Andy Burnham's Cabinet? Ed Miliband hails 'big day' amid feverish talk over key Chancellor post

Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband was initially seen as a frontrunner to take over at the helm of the Treasury.But some of Mr Burnham’s key allies are said to have warned against the appointment.Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband were both mooted as a possible Chancellor in Andy Burnham’s governmentMr Miliband lost the 2015 general election to David Cameron’s Conservatives and is seen by some people within the Labour Party as too ideological.Several other candidates have been mooted as possible contenders for the Chancellor post, including Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.Amid the frenzy of speculation over who would get the job, Mr Miliband trumpeted his green revolution mid-morning on Monday, before Mr Burnham was due to head to Buckingham Palace to be invited by the King to form a new Government. In a post on X, he messaged: "Big day today.."Our latest renewables auction opens up."Building on two record breaking auctions that have secured enough power for 23 million homes."Delivering energy security, good jobs, lower bills and climate action."His post inevitably raised the question over whether he would have put out such a message if he was about to be appointed Chancellor within hours.Former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Hutton defended Mr Miliband in the row over whether he should be Chancellor. Dan Tomlinson, Labour MP for Chipping BarnetUK ParliamentHe said the Doncaster North MP, who grew up in north London, was “much more nuanced a politician” than the one portrayed by some people as driven by ideology.Read MoreAhead of Mr Burnham starting his appointments, prisons minister Lord James Timpson resigned from the Government, according to the BBC.Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet, also triggered speculation that he may be leaving the Treasury by posting on X a series of achievements.He messaged: “I'm proud of the improvements HMRC has made over the last year. “Phone waits down to 10 minutes, from 24 minutes under Tories. “5 million users of our app in the latest 3 months Big new focus on going after dodgy High Street businesses.”Peckham MP Miatta FahnbullehGettyFormer Transport Secretary Louise Haigh (MP for Sheffield Heeley), Labour Deputy Leader Lucy Powell (Manchester Central), Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy (Wigan) and Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley are all expected to get significant roles.