Andy Burnham, the presumptive leader of the Labour Party, faces a significant challenge in assembling his senior cabinet team, with potential roles for both Ed and David Miliband creating a complex balancing act. Burnham is set to take over from Keir Starmer in less than three weeks.
Ed Miliband, currently the Net Zero Secretary, is a leading candidate for the Chancellor position, a prospect that has raised concerns among some business and union leaders, as well as party moderates. Concurrently, speculation suggests David Miliband, who previously served as Foreign Secretary, could make a return to frontline politics in a similar capacity. This scenario could lead to two of the four traditional great offices of state being held by the Miliband brothers.
This potential configuration has drawn attention due to concerns about gender representation within the top ranks of government. Labour insiders and female Labour MPs have highlighted the need for at least 50% of ministers to be women. The prospect of two Miliband brothers occupying key roles, leaving only one of the four great offices of state (Home Secretary) potentially available for a woman, has been deemed "not tenable" by some within the party.
Burnham himself has recently distanced himself from a briefing suggesting he would be Labour's "first woman premier." He addressed a meeting of Parliamentary Labour Party women, stating, "I want to put on record that I never have and never will describe myself as the first female Labour PM." He added that any team member found to have made such a claim would be immediately dismissed.
Female Labour MPs have formally requested Burnham commit to ensuring at least 50% of his ministers are women, alongside a female Deputy Prime Minister and a 50% female representation among No. 10 staff. This comes as the party, despite electing a record 190 female MPs in 2024, has historically seen only male leaders.
David Miliband, who left UK politics after losing the 2010 Labour leadership election to his brother Ed, has not ruled out a return. When asked recently, he stated that Burnham would "make his own choices." Miliband currently leads the New York-based International Rescue Committee.
The prospect of the brothers serving together in top cabinet positions is unprecedented in modern British politics. One unnamed cabinet minister told The Times, "You cannot have more Milibands than women in the top jobs. That kind of thing matters."
Both Andy Burnham and the Miliband brothers were advisers during Tony Blair's New Labour government before becoming Members of Parliament. They served in government with James Purnell, who is reportedly set to become Burnham's chief of staff.