Andy Burnham is selecting his Cabinet after replacing Keir Starmer as British Prime Minister.
He became Britain’s seventh Prime Minister in 10 years and moved swiftly to settle into the top job.
His official role began with an official audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace before delivering his first address as PM outside No 10.
Mr Burnham then moved quickly to appoint his new Cabinet.
John Healey – Chancellor
A stalwart of Labour’s frontbench, John Healey served in the Blair-Brown governments, as well in as the shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn. He then became Keir Starmer’s shadow defence secretary, and then defence secretary after the 2024 general election.
John Healey arrives in Downing Street to be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer
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 Mr Starmer’s downfall as premier.
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
A smiling Ed Miliband greets the assembled media outside No 10
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 Mr Starmer’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.
Shabana Mahmood – Home Secretary
Shabana Mahmood remains as Britain’s Home Secretary
Shabana Mahmood remains as Home Secretary under Mr Burnham. In that role, she has led the UK 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 PM.
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
Louise Haigh was dubbed part of a group of ‘northern power women’
Louise 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 PM when he won the Makerfield by-election.
She has criticised what she described as a boys’ club culture at the heart of Mr Starmer’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 also served in the Blair and Brown governments
Yvette Cooper, who served as home secretary then foreign secretary in Keir Starmer’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
Glasgown-born Pat McFadden is a long-time Labour man
Veteran frontbencher Pat McFadden remains in his ministerial post overseeing welfare spending and the state pension. He was widely seen as loyal to Mr Starmer, 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 has championed workers rights
Once dubbed Labour’s Red Queen, Angela Rayner returns to the frontline of government as Housing Secretary after resigning from the same role in Mr 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
Jonathan Reynolds is chairman of Christians on the Left
Jonathan 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 on Andy Burnham’s by-election campaign
Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell held a number of positions in Mr Starmer’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
Anneliese Midgley is a close ally of Andy Burnham
Anneliese 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 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
Bridget Phillipson pictured as she arrived in Downing Street
Ms Phillipson, a close ally of 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 Mr Starmer’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
Lisa Nandy ran for Labour leadership after the 2019 general election
Lisa Nandy, who has kept her job as Culture Secretary and is a close ally of the Prime Minister, was seen as something of an outsider in Mr Starmer’s cabinet, and her Greater Manchester constituency of Wigan borders Mr Burnham’s in Makerfield.
After Labour’s defeat in the 2019 general election, Ms Nandy stood in the leadership election to replace Jeremy Corbyn, but she finished third behind Mr Starmer.
While in opposition, he demoted Ms Nandy from shadow foreign secretary to shadow levelling up secretary and then shadow cabinet minister for international development.
Wes Streeting – Defence Secretary
Wes Streeting was briefly cast as a rival to Andy Burnham
Wes Streeting, who has been appointed as Defence Secretary, was initially seen as Mr Burnham’s main potential rival but ruled himself out of the Labour leadership contest shortly after Mr Starmer announced his resignation.
He had previously repeatedly insisted he had the 81 names required to mount a leadership bid, and spent weeks after resigning from government setting out his stall.
Mr Streeting quit as Heath Secretary in May telling Mr Starmer in his resignation letter that “it is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election” and days later told reporters that he would enter a contest to replace him.
Alex Norris – Justice Secretary
Alex Norris is Britain’s new justice minister
Alex Norris, who has been appointed as Justice Secretary, previously served as Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum.
Earlier this month, Mr Norris said “all options are on the table” regarding the deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed who was 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.
She announced a leadership challenge to Jeremy Corbyn in July 2016, but withdrew eight days later leaving Owen Smith to challenge Mr Corbyn for the leadership.
She has been the MP for Wallasey in Merseyside since 1992.
Miatta Fahnbulleh – Energy Secretary
Miatta Fahnbulleh is considered to be a member of Andy Burnham’s inner circle
Miatta Fahnbulleh, who resigned as a housing minister in protest at Keir Starmer’s leadership earlier this year, has been advising Mr Burnham and fleshing out his policy plans.
She is considered to be a member of Mr Burnham’s inner circle.
She previously served as a parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and is also considered to be a close ally of Ed Miliband.
Ellie Reeves – Attorney General
Ellie Reeves previously served as chair of the Labour Party
Ellie Reeves, sister of former chancellor Rachel Reeves, has served as Solicitor General since September 2025.
A former barrister, she previously served as chair of the Labour Party and, while Labour was in opposition, as shadow solicitor general and shadow minister for prisons and probation.
Heidi Alexander – Transport Secretary
Heidi Alexander remains as transport minister
Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander will remain Transport Secretary, a post she has held since November 2024.
She previously served alongside Andy 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 moving to the transport brief.
Chris Bryant – Northern Ireland Secretary
Chris Bryant takes over from Hilary Benn in Northern Ireland
The former Anglican priest has been the MP for Rhondda and Ogmore, and previously Rhondda, in Wales, since 2001.
Earlier this month, Chris Byrant said the government was “actively considering” a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements, but suggested there were challenges around determining the source of goods.
Mr Bryant was previously 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, who has been reappointed as Secretary of State for Scotland, previously served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Transport Secretary and International Development Secretary in the cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said that relations with Westminster had deteriorated over the last year as he signalled he did not want Mr Alexander to return as Scottish secretary in Mr Burnham’s government.
Last month, Mr Alexander admitted to an “oversight” in failing to declare for a year-and-a-half that he had met Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm.
Stephen Kinnock – Wales Secretary
Stephen Kinnock is the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock
Stephen Kinnock will replace Jo Stevens as Welsh Secretary after two years in the role.
Mr Kinnock is the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and is married to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former Danish prime minister.
He previously served as Care Minister under Keir Starmer’s premiership.
