The decision over his cabinet will set out the direction of his Government, and could define whether he is able to defeat Reform and stay in power at the next election
Andy Burnham will be Britain’s next Prime Minister, and will unveil his Cabinet next week.
The decision will set out the direction of his Government, and could define whether he is able to defeat Reform and stay in power at the next election.
On Friday the former Greater Manchester Mayor insisted no decisions had been made about his top team, but rumours continue to swirl over who will end up in the great offices of state.
Once Keir Starmer formally resigns as Prime Minister on Monday, Mr Burnham will be sworn in, deliver a speech outside Downing Street, then begin appointing his candidates.
The Mirror takes a look at who is in the running for the key jobs in Mr Burnham’s team, and what MPs think the roles need.
Chancellor
Shabana Mahmood is believed to be the frontrunner for the role, with reports that she is set to be confirmed as Rachel Reeves ’ replacement.
Allies of the Home Secretary point to her record of delivery in the Home Office, while some argue she is much more left-wing than people realise.
However, her appointment has already sparked fury among some on the left of the party, who had hoped Ed Miliband would land the role. They also take issue with her hardline immigration stance.
An unnamed MP said: “If Shabana gets chancellor over Ed, it would signal that Andy isn’t willing to do things any differently on the economy and then we’re f****d before we’ve even started. A lot of us burnt a lot of political capital getting him in here – we need results.”
Ed Miliband has long been tipped to be Chancellor, and is understood to have worked on policy for Mr Burnham already.
However, the Energy Secretary’s opponents have engaged in a briefing war to stop the former Labour leader landing the role, claiming he could spook the markets and see borrowing rates rise.
This comes despite Mr Miliband having extensive experience in the Treasury, having worked in it under Gordon Brown.
Any snub of Mr Miliband risks a backlash from the Labour left, who would see it as a betrayal.
Labour MP Rachel Maskell: “Ed has been built as having that skill set, but also has got treasury experience in Gordon Brown’s team. That stature is needed in a very difficult department. If you do not have treasury experience, it does not fit Burnham’s line about drawing on your experience.”
Home secretary
If Ms Mahmood does not go to the Treasury, there is an expectation she could stay in post. She is understood to enjoy the role, and has seen immigration fall under he watch.
Migration to the UK has nearly halved over the last year, with hundreds of thousands fewer people coming to the country and tens of thousands fewer migrants being housed in hotels.
Ms Mahmood has pushed for extensive immigration reforms that are opposed by many Labour MPs, but which Mr Burnham believes are necessary to win back voters from Reform.
Scottish Labour MP Chris Murray said: “Shabana has made incredible progress – the number of small boats is now 50% down on last year and net migration down 80%. But the Home Office needs serious, wholesale reform – particularly on sensitive settlement reforms and the abysmal asylum accommodation contracts we inherited from the Tories”.
Another option in the role could be the former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who resigned under Mr Starmer and backed Mr Burnham after abandoning his own plans to run for leader.
Mr Streeting handled the notoriously difficult Health brief well, and having taken a tough line on strikes, is used to making unpopular decisions.
One ally of Mr Streeting told this newspaper he’d succeed in any role in Government, and hoped he would land one of the four great offices of state.
Foreign Secretary
In the face of the Ukraine war, conflict in Iran, and an erratic US President, Mr Burnham may choose continuity in the Foreign Office, sticking with Yvette Cooper.
Ms Cooper is understood to want to stay in the role, and the veteran minister earned credit for how she handled the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal, as well as the Iran crisis.
There are reports that if Ed Miliband is snubbed for Chancellor, he could be placed in the Foreign Office instead.
The wildcard suggestion doing the rounds in Westminster is a shock return for David Miliband.
The former Labour leadership hopeful would need to return via the House of Lords like David Cameron, but rumours persist a role could be found for Ed’s brother.
Defence Secretary
John Healey’s resignation as Defence Secretary was part of the reason Mr Starmer was forced out, following a year of wrangling over funding for the defence investment plan (DIP).
Mr Burnham has pledged to boost funding, but any such move will likely require cuts to other departments.
Dan Jarvis, Mr Healey’s replacement is expected to be ousted from the role, and Mr Healey has been linked to a sensational return.
Other options could include Al Carns, with the former Royal Marine having grown his profile by repeatedly refusing to rule out running for leader.
This is another role Wes Streeting has been linked with.
Health Secretary
Westminster has had very few rumours over the vital role of Health Secretary, leading some to assume Mr Streeting could return in the role.
One early suggestion has been Scottish Labour MP Zubir Ahmed, a surgeon who still works in a Glasgow hospital. He is considered one to watch within the party, and worked in the department under Mr Streeting.
Another possible candidate could be Rachel Reeves, in an appeal to party unity after replacing her as Chancellor.
Angela Rayner has also been linked with the department, after resigning last year when the PM’s ethics chief Sir Laurie Magnus found she had broken the rules by underpaying stamp duty by £40,000 on her seaside flat.
An HMRC investigation finally cleared her last month, allowing her to shake off the questions that had been hanging over her for months and now prepare for a dramatic comeback.
Whoever takes on the role will face a series of issues, and have to bring in sweeping changes to social care.
Mr Burnham’s desire to reform social care dates back to when he was a health minister under Tony Blair and later Health Secretary under Gordon Brown, and he mentioned it in his speech this Friday.
Others tipped for top jobs
Louise Haigh quit as Transport Secretary after admitting she had pleaded guilty to a fraud offence over a mobile phone theft.
She has since become a key figure on the soft left of the party, and helped organise Mr Burnham’s campaign in Makerfield as well as his bid to be leader.
Ms Haigh is tipped for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster role, running the cabinet Office.
Lucy Powell is a long-term friend and ally of Mr Burnham, and the Deputy Labour leader has been linked with the role of Deputy Prime Minister.
Considered one of the bright lights of the party, Miatta Fahnbulleh is on the soft-Left of the party, and is understood to be already working on policy for the new administration. She has been linked with Housing.
Chief whip Jonathan Reynolds is also in line for a role, and is expected to become Business Secretary, replacing Peter Kyle.
A key ally of Mr Burnham, Lisa Nandy is also in line for a promotion having been Keir Starmer’s Culture Secretary.
As some MPs engage in factionalism, others just wanted candidates who could communicate and knew what they wanted. One told this newspaper: “I’m agnostic on who any of the roles should go to, I just want them to be people who won’t be given the run-around by the civil service or end up in their own little silo, have a clear sense of what they want/how it fits into the bigger vision that Andy has as PM, and can articulate that Comms-wise with a bit of panache!”
The key players inside Burnham’s operation
Former Culture Minister James Purnell will be Mr Burnham’s chief of staff, and Graeme Cooke will be the director of Downing Street’s policy unit.
His political director will be Hayden Munro, who previously worked for New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.
Former chief executive of the 38 Degrees campaign group Matthew McGregor will be director of political strategy, while former Sadiq Khan comms chief Sarah Brown will be his director of communications.
Grace Pritchard will be the No.10 director of news, and John Stevens is staying on as press secretary.
Jonathan Powell is expected to stay on as national security adviser, as is Varun Chandra as chief business adviser.