Andy Burnham's win means Ed Miliband is readying to become Chancellor
Andy Burnham's win means Ed Miliband is readying to become Chancellor and pick your pocket
The former Greater Manchester Mayor is expected to stuff his Cabinet full of high spending lefties.
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Add us as preferred source Comments By Sam Lister 12:00, Fri, Jun 19, 2026 Updated: 12:08, Fri, Jun 19, 2026 
Andy Burnham is now a dead cert to become our next Prime Minister so prepare to be poorer. The self-styled ‘King of the North’ secured a majority that far exceeded what even his most loyal allies dared to hope for. It means that his plan to oust Keir Starmer looks inevitable and within days, weeks or months, he will be in No 10.
But while affable Andy is less grating than the man he wants to replace, he is no less politically shallow. Worryingly, he is keen on appearing even more left wing. He likes spending other people’s money and that means yours.
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The cost of Government borrowing rose slightly higher on Friday morning after the Makerfield result.
Terrifyingly for the nation’s strivers, Ed Miliband is tipped as favourite to become Chancellor in a Burnham government.
Red Ed is the reason we remain bound by punishing net zero rules and cannot reap the rewards of drilling in the North Sea.
Miliband, who has described how he has become more radical, not less, as he grows older, is an instinctive tax and spender who wants public control of utilities.
Expect also to see in Cabinet Louise Haigh, who resigned as transport secretary after it emerged she pleaded guilty to a fraud offence before becoming an MP. She is in favour of higher property taxes, a wealth tax and softer targets for reducing debt.
Angela Rayner, whose tax troubles have now been resolved, appears to have done a deal with her Greater Manchester neighbour to row in behind him.
Another key ally who will be at the heart of a Burnham government will be Lisa Nandy, who believes men can become women.
Before the new Cabinet can be put together, however, a bloody coup will tear the Labour party apart while the many pressing issues facing the country are pushed to the bottom of the agenda.
Burnham may feel that his resounding victory in Makerfield shows he is the only man to defeat Reform so Starmer should just quietly stand aside.
But the Prime Minister is right to believe that just because someone wants his job, it doesn’t mean he has to give it to them.
- Nigel Farage breaks silence over Makerfield blow but issues uncompromising Labour warning
- BBC Polling guru John Curtice issues grave warning to Burnham after huge victory
The country will suffer if the government spends months consumed by Labour’s civil war but a coronation for Burnham will be far worse in the long term.
As Manchester's mayor, he has been undoubtedly popular, but it is quite a leap from dealing with bus routes to the benefits bill and further still to tackling the threat from Russia and China.
The country deserves to hear what his vision is domestically and internationally.
His reputation as a flip-flopper only increased during the by-election as he changed his position on all manner of issues, sometimes within hours.
We already have a Prime Minister who is more than capable of being terminally indecisive. Swapping him for a more likeable ditherer will not lift Britain out of the quagmire.
If Labour grants Burnham a coronation he will not be put to the test until it is too late.
What is his plan for health, education and welfare? Does he have a blueprint for the country’s armed forces and what role Britain plays in the world? Will he hitch us back up to the EU?
What’s his plan for migration, his policy on housing? Will he regulate artificial intelligence companies or let them innovate?
Voters will not get a say on whether Burnham becomes PM but the Labour Party should at least see how he fares under pressure before they catapult him into No 10.
Starmer got away with dodging the big questions during the general election campaign and look where that has got us.
All we do know is Burnham harks back to the 1970s as the golden era, his instincts are to nationalise, tax the strivers and spend their money.
Nigel Green, the CEO of global financial advisory giant deVere Group, warns a Burnham government could spook the UK bond markets and accelerate a mass exodus of wealth from Britain.
He said: “Burnham's success makes future tax raids on wealth appear more plausible than they did a week ago. Capital gains tax, inheritance tax, and wealth taxes.”
Burnham likes to spend money and has agreed to be bound by Labour’s rules preventing borrowing for day to day spending.
He won’t be able to break the manifesto promise ruling out a rise on VAT, national insurance and income tax.
So buckle up, a slew of sneaky tax rises are on the way and they are going to hurt the strivers the most.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
