Andy Burnham has been selecting his first cabinet as Prime Minister, ending much speculation in Westminster with a sweeping reshuffle that saw several Starmer era big beasts moved, demoted or dismissed.
Mr Burnham was appointed Prime Minister on Monday, 20 July 2026, after King Charles accepted the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer, following Mr Burnham’s unopposed election as Labour leader.
He had entered Parliament only weeks earlier, after winning the Makerfield by-election, a seat vacated to allow the former Greater Manchester mayor to stand for the leadership.
Chancellor: John Healey
In the biggest surprise of the reshuffle, John Healey was named Chancellor of the Exchequer, moving from the Ministry of Defence and replacing Rachel Reeves, who left the government. Mr Healey, a long serving Labour frontbencher, called the appointment “the greatest privilege” and pledged to build a new economy for working people.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham appoints John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing StreetForeign Secretary: Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband moves from the energy brief to become Foreign Secretary, taking over from David Lammy, who also departed the cabinet.
Home Secretary: Shabana Mahmood
Shabana Mahmood stays on as Home Secretary, having reportedly turned down the chance to become Chancellor in order to continue her work on asylum policy.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham reappoints Shabana Mahmood as Secretary of State for the Home Department in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing StreetDefence Secretary: Wes Streeting
Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary and a onetime leadership contender himself, was among the last senior figures to arrive at Downing Street. He has been appointed Defence Secretary, taking the post vacated by Mr Healey.
Health Secretary: Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper, who served as Home Secretary and then Foreign Secretary under Sir Keir, moves to Health, a department she also worked in during the Blair years. She is expected to lead on social care reform, a priority for the new Prime Minister.
Education Secretary: Lucy Powell
Lucy Powell, a close ally of Mr Burnham who was sacked as Leader of the Commons in a previous reshuffle, returns to the cabinet as Education Secretary.
Work and Pensions Secretary: Pat McFadden
Pat McFadden keeps his job as Work and Pensions Secretary, a role he has pledged to use to reform the welfare system.
Housing Secretary: Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner returns to government in the housing brief she held until her resignation last September, following a report into her tax affairs. She was cleared of deliberate wrongdoing earlier this year.
Business and Trade Secretary: Jonathan Reynolds
Jonathan Reynolds has been reappointed Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Louise Haigh
Louise Haigh, seen as one of Mr Burnham’s closest allies and a key figure in his campaign to return to Parliament and Downing Street, becomes First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Other cabinet appointments
Also confirmed in cabinet roles are Bridget Phillipson as Equalities Minister, Lisa Nandy as Culture Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh as Energy Secretary, Alex Norris as Justice Secretary, Heidi Alexander as Transport Secretary, Angela Eagle as Environment Secretary, Sir Chris Bryant as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Douglas Alexander as Secretary of State for Scotland, Stephen Kinnock as Secretary of State for Wales, Emma Reynolds as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Anneliese Midgley as Chief Whip, Ellie Reeves as Attorney General, Alan Campbell as Leader of the Commons, Baroness Smith of Basildon as Leader of the Lords, Hamish Falconer as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Kanishka Narayan as Minister for Artificial Intelligence, and Matthew Pennycook as Housing Minister.
Who left the cabinet
Among those to leave government in the reshuffle are Rachel Reeves, who leaves the Treasury, David Lammy, who departs as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, Steve Reed, who leaves the Housing brief, and Baron Hermer, the outgoing Attorney General. Darren Jones and Hilary Benn were also dismissed from their posts.
Images: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
