Andy Burnham has chosen James Purnell, his former Cabinet colleague, to serve as chief of staff, the Guardian reported on June 23. It is the first major appointment to a putative Burnham government and, the paper says, one of the most significant decisions he has made since returning to Westminster.
The deal is not final. Purnell has indicated he will take the job but is understood to be still negotiating terms.
Who Purnell is
Purnell made his name as a young minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. As work and pensions secretary, he resigned after the 2009 local elections in an attempt to unseat Brown. It failed. He left parliament in 2010.
He joined the BBC in 2013 as director of strategy, then became chief executive of the lobbying firm Flint Global in 2024. Eurotoday notes that his financial interests in Flint may need assessing under conflict-of-interest rules.
A return to Downing Street would be remarkable, the Guardian says, given how he left government.
Old friends from the north-west
The two men met as new MPs from the north-west and shared an office in their early years in parliament. Burnham liked to joke that when news broke, Purnell got the calls from Radio 4 and he got the ones from 5 Live. Both served as culture secretary, and Purnell also ran the Department for Work and Pensions.
Eurotoday says Purnell played a part in Burnham’s entry into parliament at 31 in 2001. When Burnham was a special adviser, Purnell told him to consult Sally Morgan, Blair’s political secretary, about running for a seat. In his 2024 book “Head North,” Burnham called Purnell “one of the clearest political thinkers” he had known and thanked him for believing in him.
After Labour lost the 2010 election, Purnell was offered the chance to be chief of staff to Ed Miliband as opposition leader. He said no.
The wider picture
Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, re-entered parliament this week as MP for Makerfield. The Guardian says he is expected to become prime minister next month after winning the support of his likeliest rival, Wes Streeting. Eurotoday adds that he is expected to be the only viable candidate for the Labour leadership after Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday.
Labour figures are still jostling over senior jobs, above all chancellor. Many around Burnham want Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, in the post, while others warn that would anger the business community and some unions. Those on the party’s right argue that Streeting would be a more sensible choice, since he could reassure the bond markets and still leave Burnham room to pursue some of his more radical policies.
Sources
- Andy Burnham picks former Blair minister James Purnell as chief of staff
- Andy Burnham Appoints Former Blair Minister James Purnell as Chief of Staff – Eurotoday
