UK changes ministers as Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer

The United Kingdom has announced new ministerial appointments after Labour Party leader Andy Burnham, 56, succeeded Keir Starmer as Prime Minister on Monday.

John Healey, previously Secretary of State for Defence, is the new Chancellor of the Exchequer; Ed Miliband is the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

Louise Haigh is the First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office, while Shabana Mahmood will remain as Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Former Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper, is now the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Angela Rayner is the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, while Pat McFadden will remain as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Labour Party Deputy Leader Lucy Powell is the new Secretary of State for Education; Jonathan Reynolds is the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Anneliese Midgley is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip) and will be a Cabinet member. Bridget Phillipson will remain a Cabinet member as Minister for Women and Equalities.

Those who have left the government include Rachel Reeves, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Darren Jones, erstwhile Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, ex-Minister for the Cabinet Office and Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations; Peter Kyle, former Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Steve Reed, ex-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Liz Kendall, former Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

In his first speech as the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade, Burnham promised to honor defense commitments with international partners, adding that Britain must “regain” its stability.

Burnham was Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026. Under the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, he served as the Treasury’s Chief Secretary, Culture Secretary, and Health Secretary.