Cull of Starmer allies as new Chancellor faces crunching spending choices

A government ends and a new government begins, determined to make a splash with its early policy announcements.

We can expect to see and hear plenty from the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his senior ministers in the coming days, making arguments, travelling the country and trying to make an impact.

Burnham’s new cabinet will meet for the first time at lunchtime.

Its appointment became something of a nocturnal affair.

At gone 22:00 BST on Monday night, there was still a minibus full of ministerial wannabes inside Downing Street waiting for their new positions to be confirmed.

One of the later posts to be filled was that of defence secretary, a role taken by Wes Streeting, whose resignation as health secretary two months ago contributed to the draining of Sir Keir Starmer’s authority as prime minister.

The story of the reshuffle can best be summarised as neither of the two ministers most widely talked up as chancellor – Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband – getting that job, it instead going to John Healey.

And there being a pretty significant cull of the ministers closest to and most loyal to the now former prime minister: think David Lammy, Darren Jones, Peter Kyle, Lord Hermer, Steve Reed and Rachel Reeves – albeit Reeves, I am told, was offered a cabinet post but turned it down.