UK PM Burnham purges Starmer loyalists in cabinet reshuffle, sacks 12 including Reeves and Lammy

Published Jul 24, 02:40 PM UTC

Newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham immediately carried out a major cabinet reshuffle, sacking a dozen members of Keir Starmer's former cabinet, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy PM David Lammy. The move was widely seen as a purge of Starmer loyalists, despite Burnham's earlier vow to end Labour factionalism. Key Burnham allies such as Louise Haigh and Anneliese Midgley were promoted, while Ed Miliband became foreign secretary and John Healey was appointed chancellor. The reshuffle drew sharp criticism from Labour MPs and party figures, who described it as factional, poorly managed, and likely to create internal enemies. Some defended the appointments as merit-based, but the overall assessment is that the reshuffle risks deepening Labour's internal divisions.