Who will be in the Burnham cabinet?Keir Starmer

New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first week in office signalled a shift in focus and style for the centre-left Labour government as he sought a clean break from predecessor Keir Starmer. •

NEW: Bloomberg Saturday read • • Andy Burnham’s first week brought vibes, now he has an incredibly tough six months ahead. Labour MPs and aides say three questions will decide his fate: • • Can he and John Healey produce a genuinely transformational budget that delivers radical change within very challenging fiscal constraints? Can they do it amid headwinds from Trump’s escalating war in Iran? And when things inevitably get bumpy, can Burnham escape the infighting that did for Keir Starmer? • • On all three fronts there are early signs of trouble. • • Even Burnham’s team concede that while he has a grand plan to be the most radical PM in 40 years, there’s little detail behind it. He’s undecided on his headline policies. An ally says his quick ascent to No10 made it hard to plan. Officials fear his tendency to think aloud and people-please means hard conversations are coming and he’ll struggle to let people down. • • Labour MPs and aides say Burnham will live or die by whether the budget can meet his lofty rhetoric without spooking investors, or if the hard choices imposed by market realities mean ambitions have to be scaled back, leaving MPs and voters disappointed. • • Ironically Healey has the largest spending demand: defence spending has to rise to 3% of GDP. Burnham will have other pricey policies, meaning tax rises and more borrowing look certain. The huge task is made even harder by events in Iran, which have sent oil back to $100, pushed borrowing costs higher and mean two interest rate hikes are now fully priced by the end of the year. • • Internal Treasury forecasts show Iran is the central threat to Burnham’s “cost of living government.” It’ll look like a promise broken if inflation and interest rates rise as expected. Senior officials worry the new No10 doesn’t fully grasp the global risks to the UK economy. “You might not be interested in foreign policy, but foreign policy is interested in you,” one says. • • The political danger is a lot of people in Labour who won’t be sympathetic if Burnham gets into choppy waters. The way he came to power and his early decisions on appointments guarantee that. • • Purged Starmerites won’t be sorry to see him fail. Left-wing MPs are also increasingly unhappy, protesting Healey’s appointment, complaining that they’re unrepresented in cabinet and accusing Burnham of appealing to them to win power then turning his back once in office, a charge they often made against Starmer. • • Even in cabinet there are early tensions. Ed Miliband would have rather been chancellor. Louise Haigh may have wanted it to be Shabana Mahmood. Mahmood could have been tempted. Angela Rayner has had much of her previous brief hived off to Haigh. Wes Streeting may not have entirely abandoned his leadership ambitions. • • MPs warn Burnham must consult them on his policy plan and quickly drop the centralised, top-down nature of his operation, which they say goes against his promise of inclusive decision-making. There are already concerns about immigration policy and welfare cuts. • • While most expect the party to pull together initially, Labour officials say they would not underestimate the possibility of multiple factions and cabinet ministers becoming more vocal in their criticisms if Burnham is unable to successfully deliver a generational plan to change Britain in the autumn. • • That’s led some Labour strategists to speculate that Burnham might be tempted to call a snap election later this year before the going gets tough. His allies reject the idea. But he’ll need to find a way to give himself some of the “breathing space” he’s promising Britons, because the next six months are not going to be easy. • • With @ChaplainChloe @EllenAMilligan @LucyGJWhite @Joe_Mayes >>>

I've spoken to some of those with Keir Starmer at The Grafton pub in North London on the day he left office - and while they accept that politics is a tough business - there is some residual anger over the reshuffle. • • They argue that by sacking so many loyalists Andy Burnham has unnecessarily created a faction that could prove a thorn in his side - former chief sec to the PM Darren Jones has already been so. • • There is also a sense that more senior male No 10 staff than female staff had survived in the new regime. Just one of the four great offices of state is now held by a woman, down from three. • • Others, however, tell @peterwalker99 it's obvious that a new PM would want to bring in his own people and that the changes were handled sensitively - with Burnham calling outgoing ministers himself & special advisers given chance to discuss their futures. • • But one warns: "It's less a purge of Starmerites than getting rid of people who were loyal to a Labour leader, while promoting people who were serially disloyal. That’s a dangerous message to send your MPs.”

The latest edition of our podcast The State of It: • • * Fury among Starmer allies over Burnham's 'factional' reshuffle. Sample messages: 'This is spectacularly, spectacularly stupid'/ 'This is factionalism on speed'. • • * Inside Keir Starmer's 'day session' leaving drinks at The Grafton in Kentish Town where the ire grew as ministers were ruthlessly despatched over the course of Monday afternoon. The walls were adorned with photos from Starmer's premiership. Allies wore 'PM solid' T-shirts - a reference to their spreadsheet listing supportive MPs in the dying days • • * Some are particularly angry at Bridget Phillipson's bruising demotion. Her job as education secretary was first offered to Rachel Reeves then given to Lucy Powell. She is now minister for women and equalities • • * The brutal manner of the reshuffle is potentially storing up trouble for the future. 'Keir Starmer never had a faction but Andy Burnham's team are at risk of creating one for him' • • * Darren Jones, former chief sec, has put Burnham on notice after pointing out that VAT cut on electricity bills was unfunded. He and others have nothing to lose. They plan to campaign to retain Labour's reputation for economic competence • • * Andy Burnham is going to have to adjust to the power of his words. He has already had to make clear he is not planning to increase the personal threshold on income or increase the additional rate to 50p. Everything he says matters from here on in • • * Just as it was for Starmer, defence spending could be a defining issue for Burnham. Healey wanted to increase defence spending to 3% by 2030. That is a huge rise that will require difficult choices across the board • • * And that's before we get to adult social care. Burnham wants to apply the 'NHS principle', making it free at the point of use. That would cost £18billion • • * That's before you get to the costs of putting Thames Water into special administration, which could be as much as £2.5billion this year alone • • * It's early days but the scale of some of the broader public spending pledges we're looking at would need a huge reconfiguration of the public finances • •

Live: Keir Starmer’s allies have questioned Andy Burnham’s pledge to end factional infighting after he removed or demoted more than half of the outgoing prime ministe

Andy Burnham enters Downing Street as British Prime Minister... and Keir Starmer delivers his farewell address, expressing his pride in his achievements.

EXCLUSIVE: Keir Starmer’s allies accuse Andy Burnham of appointing a divisive cabinet designed to reward those who brought him down. • • One says it immediately breaks Burnham’s pledge to be inclusive and run a broad church. Another says it’s dangerously hubristic and creates enemies who will come back to haunt him. A third says there is no policy justification for the top appointments. • • Burnham’s allies insist the cabinet represents all factions and regions. But in a striking response some of Starmer’s allies are saying men have got the top jobs and that it cements a north-south divide. • • While some see John Healey as a safer pick as chancellor than a left-winger, a Starmer ally says he’s been misunderstood and he’s actually the fiscally loosest possible choice because he wants a massive increase in defence spending. • • There is a lot of negative briefing about Wes Streeting, an arch anti-Starmer plotter, over his lack of defence experience. Former soldier Dan Jarvis losing his job is particularly upsetting people. • • Ed Miliband, another key plotter, as foreign secretary is causing a big reaction. Some are confused because he faces a very difficult task winning round the Trump administration that openly dislikes him. And it’s angering those who were appalled by his infamous decision to block action against Assad. • • There are also early signs of discontent on the left over Shabana Mahmood’s reappointment as home secretary. Lots of Burnham supporters on the left abstained on the immigration bill last week assuming she would be moved. They will want her to water down her more hardline immigration policies. • • Some on the left are also disappointed Miliband wasn’t made chancellor, saying Healey will want to focus spending on defence and is hardly a transformational pick otherwise. • •

From government to the pub — Starmer decided to have a beer the evening after leaving the post of prime minister. A few hours after his farewell speech and handing over the keys, he was spotted in the company of assistants at the bar. In the morning, he said goodbye to Larry the cat, shook hands with Charles III, and only afterward celebrated with his sleeves rolled up. Now he can relax. [in reply to: Andy Burnham has taken office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He received a mandate from Charles III to form a government. What is known about the new prime minister: He is 56 years old. He was born in the northwest of England to a Catholic family. He became interested in politics early, joining the Labour Party at the age of 14. He played cricket, rugby, and football at school and university. As a teenager, he worked as a newspaper boy, in a supermarket, and in a pub. He is married to Marie-France van Geel, a Dutch woman he met while studying at Cambridge. They married in 2000. The couple have three children. In May 2017, he won the Greater Manchester mayoral election. This summer, a poll showed that 59% of Labour Party members supported him and only 37% supported Keir Starmer. With Burnham coming to power, relations between London and Moscow are unlikely to change – he supports the general course of helping Ukraine and criticizing Russia. ]

Excluding those close to his predecessor Keir Starmer, the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announces his new cabinet.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces the end of his political career ahead of handing over the premiership to Andy Burnham.

Andy Burnham became the British Prime Minister after Keir Starmer resigned without a new general election. The politician, who started his career in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, twice lost the Labour leadership race and, after nine years as mayor of Manchester, now enters the British Prime Minister's Office.

Andy Burnham became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after Keir Starmer resigned without a new general election.

My work is done — Starmer resigns as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just delivered his final speech as Prime Minister. He said that as Labour leader he had "led the party out of historic defeat in 2019, transformed it to win a landslide victory in the 2024 election." He added that his government had lifted children out of poverty, cut immigration, strengthened defence and boosted Britain's international reputation. Starmer said that "in a world where our enemies will stop at nothing to divide us", partly because of "our unwavering resolve to the brave people of Ukraine", it was vital that the country came together. He wished his successor Andy Burnham well and thanked Downing Street staff and his wife Victoria: "I go with dignity, with a smile and proud of all that we have achieved." Thank you very much. After that, Starmer, to loud applause, headed to Buckingham Palace, where he will submit his resignation to King Charles III and propose Burnham as his successor. Add News.LIVE as a reliable news source on Google

Live: It's time to say goodbye for Keir Starmer, who is handing over the reins to the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham...

Keir Starmer bows out as prime minister, saying "my work is done". • • In a speech on the steps of Downing Street, he says he's passing the baton to Andy Burnham and adds: "I wish him every success. He has my full support." • • "I go with good grace. I go with a smile. And I go with everything that we have achieved."

Watch as Keir Starmer gives farewell speech in Downing Street before Andy Burnham becomes UK prime minister • • Follow live:

The big day is here - Labour leader Andy Burnham prepares to become PM as Keir Starmer bows out •

Andy Burnham, after being elected leader of Britain's ruling Labour Party, pledges to work for the working class and bring about change. Burnham's first remarks came during the party conference in London, following his leadership victory after the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Andy Burnham wins the leadership of the British Labour Party and will become Prime Minister next Monday, succeeding Keir Starmer.

#BREAKING Andy Burnham was confirmed as the new leader of Britain's governing Labour Party, replacing Keir Starmer. He will formally become prime minister on Monday

Live: Here are pictures of cabinet ministers arriving for Keir Starmer’s final cabinet this morning. Some of them will probably be back doing this walk on Monday, whe