Andy Burnham has begun putting his stamp on government by naming a new Cabinet after replacing Keir Starmer as British Prime Minister.
Becoming Britain’s seventh Prime Minister in 10 years, Mr Burnham moved fast to bed into the role, signalling a rapid change of pace at the top of Westminster.
His first formal duties included an official audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace, followed by his inaugural address as Prime Minister delivered outside No 10.
From there, Mr Burnham turned quickly to assembling his ministerial team.
John Healey – Chancellor
A familiar figure on Labour’s frontbench, John Healey served in the Blair-Brown governments and later held senior roles in the shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn. Under Keir Starmer, he became shadow defence secretary, then defence secretary after Labour’s 2024 general election victory.
John Healey arrives in Downing Street to be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer
He now takes over at the Treasury, the very department at the centre of his departure from government in June. Mr Healey’s surprise resignation as defence secretary followed a dispute over raising defence spending, a clash that became a pivotal episode in Mr Starmer’s eventual fall from office.
A source in Mr Burnham’s new ministry said Mr Healey was chosen because he is a trusted, seasoned Labour figure who shares the new prime minister’s outlook.
Ed Miliband – Foreign Secretary
A smiling Ed Miliband greets the assembled media outside No 10
Ed Miliband, once branded “Red Ed” by tabloids during his stint as Labour leader and mocked through widely circulated images of him eating a bacon sandwich ahead of the 2015 general election, returned to frontline politics after the Corbyn era. Since Labour’s 2024 win, he has served as Mr Starmer’s energy secretary, driving the government’s net zero agenda.
Mr Miliband now shifts to Foreign Secretary, placing him in the role of Britain’s chief diplomat. He is understood to have been selected for the post because of his experience on the international stage and his work negotiating with other countries during his time at the Department for Energy.
Shabana Mahmood – Home Secretary
Shabana Mahmood remains as Britain’s Home Secretary
Shabana Mahmood stays on as Home Secretary in Mr Burnham’s government. In the job, she has led efforts to tighten migration controls. With Labour’s crackdown on smuggler gangs credited with helping to reduce Channel crossings, pressure from Labour backbenchers to soften new curbs could become an early test for both Ms Mahmood and the new Prime Minister.
The Oxford-educated former barrister served as justice secretary when Labour first entered office, before moving to the Home Office. She was elected MP for Birmingham Ladywood in 2010 and is among the first Muslim women elected to the commons.
Louise Haigh – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and First Secretary of State
Louise Haigh was dubbed part of a group of ‘northern power women’
Louise Haigh has emerged as a central player in Mr Burnham’s return to Westminster and his route into Downing Street. She was described as part of the “northern power women” credited with orchestrating the campaign that secured his victory in the Makerfield by-election.
She has also attacked what she called a “boys’ club” culture in the heart of Mr Starmer’s No 10 operation. Ms Haigh was forced to resign as transport secretary over a historic criminal offence connected to wrongly telling police that a work mobile phone had been stolen in 2013.
In her new role, Ms Haigh is expected to push Mr Burnham’s priorities through Whitehall, including the devolution agenda and measures aimed at easing the cost-of-living crisis.
Yvette Cooper – Health Secretary
Yvette Cooper also served in the Blair and Brown governments
Yvette Cooper, who served as home secretary and later foreign secretary in Mr Starmer’s government, has been reassigned to oversee health and social care. Some Westminster watchers view the move as a step down from one of the four “great offices of state”.
Once seen as a rising talent under New Labour, Ms Cooper served in the Blair and Brown governments alongside Mr Burnham, before being pushed to the backbenches during the Corbyn years.
She now takes charge of reforming social care, a sector Mr Burnham has singled out as a top priority for his premiership.
Pat McFadden – Work and Pensions Secretary
Glasgown-born Pat McFadden is a long-time Labour man
Pat McFadden remains Work and Pensions Secretary, retaining responsibility for welfare spending and the state pension. Widely regarded as loyal to Mr Starmer, he was at times referred to as “the real deputy prime minister” while serving as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Born in Glasgow to Irish-speaking parents from Donegal, Mr McFadden played a key behind-the-scenes role in shaping Labour’s approach ahead of the election. Known as softly spoken and serious, he is often deployed to reinforce the party line through regular appearances on morning broadcast programmes.
Angela Rayner – Housing Secretary
Angela Rayner has championed workers rights
Angela Rayner returns to government as Housing Secretary, having resigned from the same post in Mr Starmer’s administration, along with her roles as Labour’s deputy leader and deputy prime minister, amid questions over her tax affairs last year. The Ashton-under-Lyne MP has since been cleared of wrongdoing by HMRC.
She was seen meeting Mr Burnham in Greater Manchester earlier this year, a sign she was prepared to support his push for No 10. A self-described socialist, Ms Rayner previously championed Labour’s workers’ rights package in cabinet.
Jonathan Reynolds – Business Secretary
Jonathan Reynolds is chairman of Christians on the Left
Jonathan Reynolds returns as Business Secretary, a position he held when Labour first took power before being shifted to the post of chief whip. The remit appears to have expanded significantly since his earlier tenure, now incorporating science and technology.
After Labour’s 2024 election victory, Mr Reynolds played a prominent role in efforts to reset relations with the City alongside Rachel Reeves. As chairman of Christians on the Left, he has spoken of his faith as central to his politics, telling the commons in 2013 that he would vote for equal marriage “because I am a Christian, not in spite of it”.
Lucy Powell – Education Secretary
Lucy Powell helped on Andy Burnham’s by-election campaign
Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, held several senior roles in Mr Starmer’s inner circle and continues as Labour’s deputy leader, a position she took on after Angela Rayner stepped back from frontline politics.
Labour members backed Ms Powell as their preferred candidate, with her victory coming at the expense of Starmer ally Bridget Phillipson.
She was also among the Labour MPs who moved early to support Mr Burnham’s campaign to return to parliament in the Makerfield by-election.
Anneliese Midgley – Chief Whip
Anneliese Midgley is a close ally of Andy Burnham
Anneliese Midgley joins the cabinet as Chief Whip, making her the government’s chief parliamentary enforcer. The role could take on a different character under Mr Burnham, who has publicly expressed his dislike of the whipping system that compels MPs to follow the government line.
Ms Midgley is viewed as a close ally of the new Prime Minister and was among the “northern power women” he praised after his Makerfield by-election win. She also accompanied him into the House of Commons when he was sworn in as an MP.
Bridget Phillipson – Women and Equalities minister
Bridget Phillipson pictured as she arrived in Downing Street
Bridget Phillipson, long seen as a close ally of Keir Starmer, has lost the education brief but remains Minister for Women and Equalities and will attend cabinet. In the role under Mr Starmer, she oversaw widely debated reforms to Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on trans people.
Ms Phillipson has spoken about growing up in a struggling single-parent household, while stressing she was not the worst off in her class. She said that background informed her approach to education, where she set out Labour’s goal of breaking the “class ceiling” by removing barriers for less advantaged children.
Lisa Nandy – Culture Secretary
Lisa Nandy ran for Labour leadership after the 2019 general election
Lisa Nandy keeps her post as Culture Secretary and is described as a close ally of the Prime Minister. In Mr Starmer’s cabinet she was often seen as an outsider, and her Greater Manchester seat of Wigan sits next to Mr Burnham’s Makerfield constituency.
Following Labour’s defeat at the 2019 general election, Ms Nandy ran in the leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn, finishing third behind Mr Starmer.
During opposition, Mr Starmer moved her from shadow foreign secretary to shadow levelling up secretary and later to shadow cabinet minister for international development.
Wes Streeting – Defence Secretary
Wes Streeting was briefly cast as a rival to Andy Burnham
Wes Streeting has been appointed Defence Secretary after being widely viewed, at least initially, as Mr Burnham’s principal potential rival. He ruled himself out of the Labour leadership race shortly after Mr Starmer announced his resignation.
Mr Streeting had repeatedly claimed he had secured the 81 names needed to launch a leadership bid and spent weeks after leaving government making his case in public.
He resigned as Heath Secretary in May, writing to Mr Starmer that “it is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election”, and told reporters days later that he would run to succeed him.
Alex Norris – Justice Secretary
Alex Norris is Britain’s new justice minister
Alex Norris becomes Justice Secretary after previously serving as Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum.
Earlier this month, Mr Norris said “all options are on the table” on the potential deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed, who has been released from prison.
Angela Eagle – Environment Secretary
Angela Eagle has been MP for Wallasey since 1992
Angela Eagle served as Minister of State for Pensions and Ageing Society from June 2009 until May 2010 under Gordon Brown.
In July 2016, she launched a leadership challenge against Jeremy Corbyn but withdrew eight days later, leaving Owen Smith to take on Mr Corbyn for the leadership.
Ms Eagle has represented Wallasey in Merseyside as MP since 1992.
Miatta Fahnbulleh – Energy Secretary
Miatta Fahnbulleh is considered to be a member of Andy Burnham’s inner circle
Miatta Fahnbulleh takes over as Energy Secretary after resigning earlier this year as a housing minister in protest at Mr Starmer’s leadership. Since then, she has advised Mr Burnham and helped develop his policy programme.
She is considered part of Mr Burnham’s inner circle.
Ms Fahnbulleh previously served as a parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and is also regarded as a close ally of Ed Miliband.
Ellie Reeves – Attorney General
Ellie Reeves previously served as chair of the Labour Party
Ellie Reeves, the sister of former chancellor Rachel Reeves, has served as Solicitor General since September 2025.
A former barrister, she previously chaired the Labour Party and, in opposition, served as shadow solicitor general and shadow minister for prisons and probation.
Heidi Alexander – Transport Secretary
Heidi Alexander remains as transport minister
Heidi Alexander, the MP for Swindon South, will continue as Transport Secretary, a role she has held since November 2024.
She previously worked alongside Mr Burnham in Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet before being appointed shadow health secretary by Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
After returning to parliament at the 2024 general election, Ms Alexander briefly served as Justice Secretary before taking on the transport portfolio.
Chris Bryant – Northern Ireland Secretary
Chris Bryant takes over from Hilary Benn in Northern Ireland
Chris Bryant, a former Anglican priest, has represented Rhondda and Ogmore, and previously Rhondda, in Wales since 2001.
Earlier this month, Chris Byrant said the government was “actively considering” banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements, while noting difficulties in verifying where goods originate.
Mr Bryant previously served as Minister of State for Trade and earlier this year described Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as “a rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest, which he said he served, and his own private interest”.
Douglas Alexander – Secretary of State for Scotland
Douglas Alexander stays on as Scottish Secretary
Douglas Alexander has been reappointed Secretary of State for Scotland. He previously served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Transport Secretary and International Development Secretary in the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown administrations.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said relations with Westminster had worsened over the past year and indicated he did not want Mr Alexander to return as Scottish secretary in Mr Burnham’s government.
Last month, Mr Alexander acknowledged an “oversight” after failing for 18 months to declare a meeting with Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm.
Stephen Kinnock – Wales Secretary
Stephen Kinnock is the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock
Stephen Kinnock will succeed Jo Stevens as Welsh Secretary after two years with her in the role.
Mr Kinnock is the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and is married to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former Danish prime minister.
He previously served as Care Minister under Keir Starmer’s premiership.
