Getty ImagesShortly after Andy Burnham telephoned a number of Keir Starmer’s allies to sack them from the cabinet on Monday afternoon, John Healey received the signal to head to Number 10.
Wearing a suit and one of his many red ties, the former defence secretary left parliament alone via a back entrance next to a pub.
“I’m on my way to a meeting,” he said with a slight smile as he marched down Whitehall.
Healey’s imminent appointment as chancellor was a surprise – to him, to his Labour colleagues, and to the British public.
The Conservatives support that tax cut but have questioned its funding.
Five weeks earlier Healey had weakened Keir Starmer’s grip on Downing Street by quitting as defence secretary in a row over military spending.
Soon he would be back around the cabinet table alongside two others whose recent resignations had also damaged Starmer – new defence secretary Wes Streeting and new energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh.
Were they rewarded for rebelling and hastening Burnham’s path to office? Possibly.
But all three are also widely seen as skilled operators taking on complex roles.
John Healey’s elevation to the second most important job in government has delighted senior figures in the Ministry of Defence, who are relieved to have someone in the Treasury who is committed to increasing military spending.
“It’s brilliant for us,” said an insider.
Yet the same MOD source is also relieved Healey is not returning.
“We were dreading him coming back”, they said. “He’s a difficult person”.
Even some senior Conservatives think Healey’s appointment as chancellor was clever. “For a number of reasons”, explains one former Tory cabinet minister.
“He’s not Ed Miliband, he’s hard to attack, and he’s Treasury-literate.” Healey served as a minister in the department for five years during Tony Blair’s premiership.
Burnham ally Anneliese Midgeley has the difficult task of trying to keep Labour MPs – including those sacked as ministers – loyal to the government.
Former chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones’s public swipe at Andy Burnham’s energy bills policy is a sign not all will play nice.
One Labour MP claims that those sacked by Burnham can be divided into three groups.
“Some went because of their politics, others just weren’t good, and then there are those disliked in the parliamentary Labour party,” said the MP.
Behind the scenes, many in Westminster are talking about the possibility of Andy Burnham taking advantage of a possible bounce in the opinion polls and calling a snap general election.
Nigel Farage wants one and argues it is necessary since Burnham has no mandate.
But with the Reform leader facing both a by-election and questions over his finances, some in his party worry that if Burnham moves too fast, Farage could miss his one great chance to become PM.
“We are really worried about a snap election,” said the Reform source, grinning.
“Which is why we’re calling for a snap election.”
EPAAcross all the parties at Westminster, plans are being put in place in case a snap contest is called.
“We’ve started preparing,” said a senior Liberal Democrat aide.
Andy Burnham has appeared to rule out heading to the polls.
It would certainly anger some Labour MPs who could lose their seats.
Yet it would also offer the new PM an opportunity to get a fresh mandate for more radical policies, as well as secure his position for a full five year term.
“There is economic pain coming down the horizon”, says the former Conservative cabinet minister.
“And it’s about how far he [Burnham] gets ahead of it. He faces a choice between going for an election, and a slow decline as we saw with Gordon Brown.”
That former PM was dubbed “bottler Brown” in 2007 after considering going to the polls before deciding against it.
Yet Brown got to Number 10 with a mixture of patience, caution, guile and ruthlessness, whereas Andy Burnham speedy rise was largely due to one major electoral gamble.
After his success in Makerfield and then the Labour leadership contest, will Andy Burnham fancy another throw of the dice?
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