Long-term allies of Andy Burnham on the Labour left have urged him to appoint a cabinet which “properly represents our party’s tradition as a broad church, not a boys’ club”.
In a statement released today, the interim council of Mainstream – the soft left parliamentary group backed by Burnham – called on the new Labour leader to appoint a “progressive chancellor with vision, values and a record of delivering structural change”. While the statement does not mention him by name, insiders confirmed to the NS that the group is clear that Ed Miliband must be chancellor.
The statement added, in a nod to the Energy Secretary, that any candidate for chancellor in a Burnham administration must be someone who “understands the threat climate breakdown poses to people and planet and who has the courage to rebuild our state’s productive capacity”. Burnham has not yet announced who he intends to appoint as his chancellor, however widespread reports suggest it will be the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In his acceptance speech as Labour Party leader, Burnham said he hasn’t “made any decisions yet” about who will be in his cabinet.
A Mainstream insider told the NS: “If Andy is serious about ending 40 years of neoliberalism, then he needs a chancellor who knows how to challenge Treasury orthodoxy, work with the civil service and get progressive things done.” They added: “That is so obviously Ed.” Speculation about Mahmood’s appointment has caused some concern among some on the left of the Labour Party. Mahmood is seen as on the Blue Labour wing of the party, and some of her controversial immigration and asylum reforms have led to pushback on the left, including from Mainstream member Tony Vaughan.
Burnham became leader of the Labour Party at a conference in central London this afternoon. He was nominated by 349 members of the Parliamentary Labour Party, making it impossible for any other candidate to challenge him. Mainstream – which was founded in September 2025 – included Burnham among its founding members. It has a close relationship with Compass – the soft-left pressure group founded by Neal Lawson – and its members include Clive Lewis (a long-term parliamentary outrider for the former Manchester mayor) and Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker. The group describes itself as the “radical wing” of Labour’s soft-left.
The statement was also critical of the way in which the Labour leadership race had been run, pointing out that after dire set local election results in May, many party members “feel dejected and disempowered”. It added: “the process to change leadership did little to address this at the grassroots.”
Burnham has just been formally appointed Labour leader. It will not be long before the details of his intended government are revealed. Members of the Labour left are already sceptical.
[Further reading: Andy Burnham is already under pressure over electoral reform]
Content from our partners
Related
Join the debate
Subscribe here to comment