Andy Burnham’s first 24 hours as PM were marked by rapid cabinet changes, a cut in VAT on energy bills and rising speculation about a snap general election. The new prime minister moved quickly on Monday afternoon, phoning a number of Keir Starmer’s allies to remove them from the cabinet before John Healey was told to head to Number 10.
Healey’s expected appointment as chancellor came as a surprise to him, to Labour colleagues and to the wider public. The former defence secretary left Parliament through a back entrance near a pub, then set off down Whitehall. His return to the top tier of government was especially striking because he had quit as defence secretary five weeks earlier during a row over military spending.
Alongside Healey, two other recent Starmer-era resignations are also back at the cabinet table: Wes Streeting as defence secretary and Miatta Fahnbulleh as energy secretary. Burnham allies and opponents alike see the three as capable operators given major responsibilities. The Ministry of Defence is said to welcome Healey’s move to the Treasury because he is committed to higher military spending, even as one source there said the department had been dreading his return and described him as difficult. Some senior Conservatives also viewed the choice as shrewd, arguing that he would be hard to attack and already knows the Treasury well after five years there under Tony Blair.
