STORY
John Healey has been appointed Chancellor by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, in the first major appointment of the new Government following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation. The appointment came as Burnham began reshaping the Cabinet on his first day in Downing Street, with several senior figures from the Starmer administration leaving Government as the new Prime Minister sought to establish his own political direction.
Healey, who previously served as Defence Secretary and has held Treasury, housing and local Government roles during his long parliamentary career, will now take charge of the Government’s economic policy at a time of pressure over public spending, growth and living costs. His appointment was seen as a surprise by some in Westminster, with Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband among those previously discussed for the Treasury, but Burnham is expected to argue that Healey brings Cabinet experience and a grounding in domestic policy to one of the most sensitive posts in Government.