South Yorkshire MPs handed key roles in Andy Burnham's government
John Healey - the Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP - has become Britain's new Chancellor
Three South Yorkshire MPs have taken on key jobs in Andy Burnham's new government, with the former Manchester mayor appointing a record number of northern MPs to his Cabinet.
Burnham officially took power yesterday, with one of his first appointments being the promotion of Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP John Healey to the role of Chancellor.
Healey served as Secretary of State for Defence under Keir Starmer from 2024 until earlier this year, when he quit in dispute over funding for the armed forces.
A stalwart of Labour’s frontbench, Mr Healey served in the Blair-Brown governments, as well in as the shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn. He then became Sir Keir’s shadow defence secretary, and then defence secretary after the 2024 general election.
Mr Healey now finds himself leading the Treasury, a department which provoked his exit from Government in June. His shock resignation as defence secretary came after a row about increasing defence spending. That proved a consequential moment in Sir Keir’s downfall as premier.
A source in Mr Burnham’s new ministry said Mr Healey had been appointed because he is a trusted and experienced figure within Labour, who shares the same outlook as the new Prime Minister.
Also in is the Doncaster North MP and former Labour leader Ed Miliband, who becomes Foreign Secretary.
Dubbed “Red Ed” by the tabloids during his time as Labour leader, and subject to embarrassing photos of him eating a bacon sandwich being published in the press in the run up to the 2015 general election Mr Miliband returned to frontline politics following the Corbyn era and had served as energy secretary in Sir Keir’s government since Labour’s election win in 2024, spearheading the net zero agenda.
He now moves to the role of Foreign Secretary, effectively Britain’s top diplomat.
Mr Miliband is said to have been appointed the new Foreign Secretary because of his experience of international leadership and negotiating with other nations across the world during his time as energy secretary.
Meanwhile Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh becomes Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and First Secretary of State.
She initially served as Transport Secretary under Sir Keir Starmer before being foreced to resign, after it emerged she'd admitted to fraud by false representation in 2014.
She'd claimed to have been mugged on a night out and to have lost a phone, something she told police about, before later finding the mobile in a drawer.
Ms Haigh became a key figure in Mr Burnham’s plans to return to Westminster and enter Downing Street, and was dubbed part of a group of “northern power women” who had masterminded the campaign by the new Prime Minister when he won the Makerfield by-election.
She has criticised what she described as a boys’ club culture at the heart of Sir Keir’s No 10 operation.
Ms Haigh is expected to drive Mr Burnham’s priorities for Government across the Whitehall machine, including the devolution agenda and plans to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.