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UK PM Burnham purges Starmer loyalists in cabinet reshuffle, sacks 12 including Reeves and Lammy
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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.
Source report
Prime Minister Andy Burnham moved swiftly to reshape the government within hours of taking office, dismissing a dozen cabinet members in a sweeping purge of Keir Starmer's allies.
Key Appointments and Dismissals
Sacked from cabinet:
- Rachel Reeves — Chancellor of the Exchequer
- David Lammy — Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary
- Darren Jones — Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister
- Nick Thomas-Symonds — Cabinet Office Minister
- Hilary Benn — Northern Ireland Secretary
- Lord Hermer — Attorney General
- Bridget Phillipson — Education Secretary (retains cabinet role as Minister for Women and Equalities)
New appointments:
- Louise Haigh — Effectively the Prime Minister's deputy
- Anneliese Midgley — Chief Whip
- Ed Miliband — Foreign Secretary
- John Healey — Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Wes Streeting — Defence Secretary
Surviving Starmer-era ministers:
- Pat McFadden — Work and Pensions Secretary
- Yvette Cooper — Health Secretary
Analysis and Reaction
Despite Burnham's pledge to end Labour "factionalism," critics described the reshuffle as a targeted removal of Starmer loyalists in favour of close Burnham allies.
One Labour MP described the new cabinet as "a mixed bag," adding: "Some of the appointments are merit-based, but some of it pure factionalism."
A senior party figure told HuffPost UK: "It's a really bad reshuffle. He's made far too many enemies, and given far too many jobs to his mates. It's not just the people he's sacked — he'll have pissed off Ed, Yvette and Bridget."
Another source criticised the appointment of Anneliese Midgley as chief whip, saying: "Midgley as chief whip is a disaster, she doesn't know enough Labour MPs. They've now got loads of pissed off people who lost jobs or who didn't get jobs at all. What could possibly go wrong?"
However, a Labour veteran defended the line-up, citing "clear logic" behind the appointments. They noted that making Ed Miliband foreign secretary was "a good consolation with the added bonus that it gets him out of the country," and described Wes Streeting as "bright and energetic" while warning he must "calm down and grow up."
One MP expressed dismay at the lack of left-wing representation, stating: "This is a hard lesson in power politics... The left won't feature apart from the perhaps odd token position."
This week's Commons People podcast explores what message Burnham is sending with his appointments and whether he has added more fuel to Labour's simmering civil war.
Source
HuffPost UK - Athena2 - All Entries (Public)Western
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UK PM Andy Burnham Sacks Starmer Loyalists in Major Cabinet Reshuffle