Chris Mason: Another Starmer critic gets promotion as Sarwar joins Burnham government

Chris Mason: Sarwar ministerial role sees promotion of another Starmer criticImage source, PA MediaByChris MasonPolitical editorPublished23 minutes agoThe imminent appointment of the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to Andy Burnham's government, via a seat in the House of Lords, sees the promotion of another key figure in the downfall of Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister.When Sarwar said publicly, back in February, that Sir Keir should stand down, it was a moment of colossal jeopardy for the now former prime minister.It looked, briefly, like it might bring about an immediate and irrevocable collapse in his authority. Then, one after another, cabinet ministers posted their support for him on social media.As I wrote at the time, missives of public loyalty from cabinet ministers towards a prime minister shouldn't be newsworthy and they only become so when the opposite seems feasible.Now, five months on, Sarwar will be swapping Holyrood for Westminster and becoming a minister.He will be joining Miatta Fahnbulleh in government, the new energy secretary in Burnham's cabinet, who was the first government minister to resign from Sir Keir's administration saying she had lost faith in him.Also around the cabinet table, the new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who let it be known in what turned out to be Sir Keir's final weeks in office that he had suggested to him that he ought to accept that his time was up.It is also worth mentioning too John Healey, who resigned as defence secretary, and Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary towards the end of Sir Keir's time in Downing Street, are now in prominent roles in Burnham's cabinet as chancellor and defence secretary respectively.This is the backdrop to comments from Steve Reed, the former communities secretary and doughty defender of Sir Keir at some of his moments of most intense peril.Reed wrote to Burnham as he left government and said: "I hope those who did not show loyalty...