Andy Burnham reshapes UK cabinet with new appointments and reshuffled key roles

Andy Burnham on Tuesday was to hold his first meeting with a dramatically reshaped cabinet of ministers, after removing some key figures and offering others new positions. He handed top jobs to several prominent politicians who helped pave his path to power and ditched senior figures seen as loyal to the previous leader, including finance minister Rachel Reeves. Finance Minister John Healey Britain’s incoming Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey arrives ahead of a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP British political veteran Healey, who quit as defence secretary last month over a funding row, has made a surprise return to run the finance ministry he battled for more money for the military. As defence minister, Healey was a vocal advocate for overhauling existing military infrastructure, upping investment and maintaining tougher responses to Russian aggression. Seen as a trusted and experienced figure, the 66-year-old stalwart of ruling centre-left Labour has been an MP for nearly three decades, representing a constituency in northern England. Foreign Minister Ed Miliband Britain’s incoming Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband arrives ahead of a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP A former leader of the Labour party in opposition, Miliband has since mounted a political comeback, now rewarded with the role of foreign secretary, one of the great offices of state. He succeeded Gordon Brown as Labour leader in 2010, winning a contest against his own brother, David Miliband, but quit in 2015 after losing the general election and spent a period in the political wilderness. Under Starmer, he served for two years as energy security minister, campaigning for the transition towards a net zero economy. Opponents slammed him as an “eco-zealot” and rumours he might be named finance minister rattled markets. Defence Minister Wes Streeting Britain’s Defence Secretary Wes Streeting departs after a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP Streeting gained the top role after quitting as health minister in May, saying he had lost confidence in then-premier Starmer. The 43-year-old MP with an east London constituency initially said he would stand against Starmer, before backing Burnham. He vowed to ensure armed forces “have the resources they need”, but the appointment of a novice to the role has sparked criticism, with former Tory incumbent Ben Wallace writing on X this showed “contempt for Defence”. Streeting has also faced questions over his links to Peter Mandelson, sacked as US ambassador due to his association with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but has denied they are close friends. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arrives ahead of a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP A straight-talking, combative politician, Mahmood has overhauled the country’s asylum system since she was appointed interior minister in 2025. The 45-year-old former barrister and justice minister was born in the central English city of Birmingham, where she became one of Britain’s first women Muslim MPs. Unapologetic about slashing migration to the UK, after her reappointment, she vowed to “finish the job” and implement “major reform”. Housing Minister Angela Rayner Britain’s incoming Housing Secretary Angela Rayner arrives ahead of a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP Rayner takes up this portfolio again after resigning in September over unpaid property tax. She paid the amount and was cleared of deliberate wrongdoing. Known for her straight-talking style, Rayner is well-liked in Labour’s left-wing grassroots. The 46-year-old who came into politics after working for trade unions, grew up in social housing in northern England and left school at 16 when she became a single mother. Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh Britain’s incoming Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey (R) walks with Britain’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Miatta Fahnbulleh (L) as they leave after a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP Taking over from Miliband as the minister in charge of energy security and net zero, the 46-year-old has only been an MP for two years. She was born in Liberia where her father served as foreign minister, but her family fled to the UK when she was a child. She gained a PhD in economics and worked in a government team developing policy ideas and at think tanks before becoming an MP in 2024. In May she became the first junior minister to resign, calling on Starmer “to do the right thing for the country”. Health Minister Yvette Cooper Britain’s incoming Health Secretary Yvette Cooper arrives ahead of a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026, a day after Andy Burnham became Britain’s new prime minister. — AFP Yvette Cooper, 57, was removed from the top role of foreign minister after less than a year, becoming health minister. The long-serving politician had previously headed the interior ministry under Starmer. In previous Labour governments, she headed the departments for housing and work and pensions. Header image: Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks during a cabinet meeting in Downing Street in London on July 21, 2026. — AFP

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Westminster fever hit boiling point as the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham picked his first cabinet. There were some shock appointments, some winners and some notable absentees from Mr Burnham’s dream team as he swept away key figures from Sir Keir Starmer’s government. As Starmer headed straight to the pub with Rachel Reeves, the new Prime Minister promised to provide early ‘breathing space’ for households struggling with the cost of living, vowed to end rough sleeping in the UK. Speaking outside the door to No 10 Mr Burnham said he would deliver ‘a new political model and a new economic model’ for Britain. Andy Burnham’s first order of business was to pick his dream cabinet (Picture: EPA) Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. Here is the team he has chosen to do it with: John Healey – Chancellor A stalwart of Labour’s frontbench, Mr Healey served in the Blair-Brown governments, as well in as the shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn. He then became Sir Keir’s shadow defence secretary, and then defence secretary after the 2024 general election. Mr Healey now finds himself leading the Treasury, a department which provoked his exit from Government in June. His shock resignation as defence secretary came after a row about increasing defence spending. That proved a consequential moment in Sir Keir’s downfall as premier. John Healey was the first resignation that triggered Sir Keir Starmer’s downfall (Picture: Getty) A source in Mr Burnham’s new ministry said Mr Healey had been appointed because he is a trusted and experienced figure within Labour, who shares the same outlook as the new Prime Minister. Ed Miliband – Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arriving in Downing Street (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire) Ed Miliband was tipped for Chancellor and arrived with Shabana Mahmood at the exact same time to keep all the politicos on their toes. Dubbed ‘Red Ed’ by the tabloids during his time as Labour leader, and subject to embarrassing photos of him eating a bacon sandwich being published in the press in the run up to the 2015 general election, Mr Miliband returned to frontline politics following the Corbyn era and had served as energy secretary in Sir Keir’s government since Labour’s election win in 2024, spearheading the net zero agenda. He now moves to the role of Foreign Secretary, effectively Britain’s top diplomat. Mr Miliband is said to have been appointed the new Foreign Secretary because of his experience of international leadership and negotiating with other nations across the world during his time as energy secretary. Will he stand up to Donald Trump and his demand for North Sea oil? Shabana Mahmood – Home Secretary Ms Mahmood remains as Home Secretary under Mr Burnham. In that role, she has led the Government’s work on creating stricter migration controls. As Labour’s efforts to tackle smuggler gangs have borne fruit in reducing Channel crossings, calls from backbench Labour MPs to soften new migration curbs could prove an early flashpoint for Ms Mahmood and the new Prime Minister. Oxford-educated former barrister Ms Mahmood served as justice secretary when Labour first won power, before her appointment as Home Secretary. She is one of the first Muslim women elected to the Commons, having won the seat of Birmingham Ladywood in 2010. Louise Haigh – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and First Secretary of State Labour MP Louise Haigh arrives at 10 Downing Street to find out her fate: (Picture: Getty) Ms Haigh became a key figure in Mr Burnham’s plans to return to Westminster and enter Downing Street, and was dubbed part of a group of “northern power women” who had masterminded the campaign by the new Prime Minister when he won the Makerfield by-election. She has criticised what she described as a boys’ club culture at the heart of Sir Keir’s No 10 operation, after she was forced to resign as transport secretary over a historic criminal offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013. Ms Haigh is expected to drive Mr Burnham’s priorities for Government across the Whitehall machine, including the devolution agenda and plans to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Yvette Cooper – Health Secretary Yvette Cooper arrives at 10 Downing Street to take Wes Streeting’s old post he resigned from (Picture: Getty) Ms Cooper, who served as home secretary then foreign secretary in Sir Keir’s government, has been moved to the Cabinet post overseeing health and social care in what is considered by some Westminster watchers as a demotion from one of the four “great offices of state”. She was viewed as a rising star under New Labour, and she served in the Blair and Brown governments alongside Mr Burnham, before being relegated to the backbenches under Jeremy Corbyn. Ms Cooper has been trusted with overhauling the social care sector, an area which Mr Burnham has said will be one of his priorities as Prime Minister. Pat McFadden – Work and Pensions Secretary Veteran frontbencher Mr McFadden remains in his ministerial post overseeing welfare spending and the state pension. He was widely seen as loyal to Sir Keir, and was at times described as “the real deputy prime minister” in his time as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Mr McFadden, a long-time Labour man who was born in Glasgow to Irish-speaking parents from Donegal, played a central role in shaping Labour’s direction in the run-up to the election. Softly spoken and serious, much of his work has taken place behind the scenes, though he is frequently relied on to reinforce the party line with appearances on the morning broadcast rounds. Angela Rayner – Housing Secretary Angela Rayner was deputy leader under Sir Keir before resigning over a tax issue (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire) Once dubbed Labour’s Red Queen, Angela Rayner returns to the frontline of Government as Housing Secretary after resigning from the same role in Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet, as well as her jobs as Labour’s deputy leader and deputy prime minister, over her tax affairs last year. The Ashton-under-Lyne MP has since been cleared of any wrongdoing by HMRC. She was spotted meeting with Mr Burnham in Greater Manchester earlier this year, in a sign she was willing to back his bid for No 10. A self-described socialist, Ms Rayner championed Labour’s workers rights package in her previous cabinet role. Jonathan Reynolds – Business Secretary Mr Reynolds returns to the role of Business Secretary, a role he held when Labour first came to power, before he was moved sideways to become the party’s chief whip. The role appears to have been significantly beefed up since he first held it, and now covers science and technology as well. When Labour won the election in 2024, Mr Reynolds was at the forefront of Labour’s efforts to redraw its relationship with the City alongside Rachel Reeves. As chairman of Christians on the Left, Mr Reynolds has described his faith as hugely important to his politics. In 2013 he told the Commons he would vote for equal marriage ‘because I am a Christian, not in spite of it’. Lucy Powell – Education Secretary Lucy Powell helped Andy Burnham in Makerfield (Picture: Getty) Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell held a number of positions in Sir Keir’s top team, and continues to be Labour’s deputy leader, an appointment prompted by Angela Rayner’s exit from frontline politics. She was the preferred choice of Labour members for that position, and won it over Starmer ally Bridget Phillipson. Ms Powell was among the Labour MPs who were early to help Mr Burnham’s campaign to return to Westminster in the Makerfield by-election. Anneliese Midgley – Chief Whip Ms Midgley will be a member of the Cabinet as she takes up the role of Chief Whip, the Government’s chief enforcer in Parliament. The role may however been somewhat different under new Prime Minister Mr Burnham, who has spoken of his dislike for the whipping system used to ensure MPs vote with the Government. Ms Midgley is seen as a close ally of Mr Burnham and was among the “northern power women” he paid tribute to when he won the Makerfield by-election. She accompanied him into the House of Commons when he was sworn in as an MP. Bridget Phillipson – Women and Equalities minister Ms Phillipson, a close ally of Sir Keir Starmer, has lost her job as education secretary, but remains as the Minister for Women and Equalities, and will attend Cabinet. In that role in Sir Keir’s government, Ms Phillipson has overseen widely-debated reforms to Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on trans people. Ms Phillipson came from a struggling single-parent family but says she was far from the worst off in her class. Her upbringing shaped her approach to the education brief she used to hold, in which she outlined Labour’s mission to smash the ‘class ceiling’ by removing barriers to opportunity for less advantaged children. Lisa Nandy – Culture Secretary Ms Nandy told reporters she was ‘very’ happy to continue with her job as Culture Secretary as she left Downing Street smiling on Monday evening. Her new responsibility for digital, meanwhile suggested that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) had been scrapped. Wes Streeting has been appointed Defence Secretary, Alex Norris is the new Justice Secretary, Dame Angela Eagle is the new Environment Secretary, and Miatta Fahnbulleh has been appointed Energy Secretary. In his first speech as Prime Minister, Mr Burnham, whose return to Westminster triggered Sir Keir’s resignation, acknowledged the turbulence in British politics which meant he was the seventh prime minister since 2016. It was, he said, a time for ‘reflection and new resolution’ and ‘Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again’. He acknowledged a disaffection among Britons with politics in general. ‘I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you and I want to be honest with you – we have not been good enough, and we need to be better. We will be. ‘We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years – a new political model and a new economic model.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source