Labour Left pushes for 'Red Ed' Miliband to be Burnham's Chancellor despite alarm at 'zealotry' on tax and Net Zero

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 10:21, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 10:27, 23 June 2026 Labour big beasts are frantically jockeying for spots on Andy Burnham's top team as he closes in on No10. Behind-the-scenes lobbying has been ramping up with a focus on who would be the presumptive PM's Chancellor. Rachel Reeves made an awkward appearance in Mr Burnham's 'mass selfie' with Labour MPs yesterday, but has seemingly failed to persuade him to keep her on.  Instead Ed Miliband is believed to be pushing for the job, with Left-wing MPs enthusiastically making his case.  However, unions are alarmed at the prospect of him taking his hardline Net Zero approach to the Treasury, and the former party leader's economic views are regarded as 'Soviet'. Wes Streeting is another option being considered by Mr Burnham's team, after the ex-health secretary dropped his own challenge to Sir Keir and fell in behind the overwhelming favourite. Labour big beasts are frantically jockeying for spots on Andy Burnham's top team as he closes in on No10 Ed Miliband is believed to be pushing for the job, with Left-wing MPs enthusiastically making his case Rachel Reeves made an awkward appearance in Mr Burnham's 'mass selfie' with Labour MPs yesterday, but has seemingly failed to persuade him to keep her on Other names touted include Yvette Cooper, who would be seen as a centrist choice, and Shabana Mahmood - although she is thought to want to stay as Home Secretary. Angela Rayner is also expected to make a comeback to the Cabinet.   Mr Burnham's operation has been gearing up after he was officially sworn in as an MP yesterday, and Keir Starmer announced his resignation. In a sign of the huge support he now enjoys in the Parliamentary Party, hundreds of Labour colleagues joined him for a 'mass selfie' in Westminster Hall.  It is looking increasingly unlikely that any rival will secure the 81 nominations from MPs needed to force a full contest. That means Mr Burnham could take over from Sir Keir as early as July 17.  But some Labour moderates fear that his administration will be a 'sh**show' and Left-wingers are already turning it into a 'circus'.  Mr Burnham will begin to set out his policy platform next week, pledging economic growth and a commitment to Labour's existing fiscal rules in a speech. Allies have insisted no Cabinet jobs had been offered and no deals had been made as of last night. Josh Simons, the former MP for Makerfield who sacrificed his job to clear the way for Mr Burnham's return, is widely expected to become his chief of staff. Multiple sources have suggested that Louise Haigh is on course to become Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Multiple sources have suggested that Louise Haigh is on course to become Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster That is a crucial enforcement role responsible for driving the PM's agenda through departments across Whitehall. Ms Haigh resigned from Cabinet in 2024 admitting she had failed to disclose a spent fraud conviction, but has played a key role in the by-election and was highly praised by Mr Burnham at a victory rally. Neal Lawson, head of Left-wing pressure group Compass, is seen as likely to get a senior policy job.     The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.