Andy Burnham’s warm relations with Shabana Mahmood could turn frosty after a series of potential clashes once he enters government. Reality will as usual be a smack in the face…
Burnham has spoken highly of the Home Secretary and her approach to immigration – combined with briefings from Mahmood’s team about Andy being keen on her becoming Chancellor – but there is growing speculation that relations could sour fast.
The so-called Hillsborough Law, which imposes a duty of candour on all public servants, has repeatedly died under Starmer’s government after those civil servants who know anything about security work warned that the legally mandated massive releases of evidence under the law would be a disaster. Bill campaigners also refused to accept a compromise from Starmer’s government which carved out MI5 and so on…
Labour sources point out that the Home Secretary – with the security services in her ear – led substantial pushback against the Hillsborough Law. She is likely to continue doing so in her current role. Andy Burnham has a decades-long history with the Hillsborough campaign and worked as Culture Secretary on the matter. He’s not going to enjoy going slow…
Briefings have already appeared this week detailing that Burnham views Mahmood’s retroactive changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain are unfair and immigration reforms could in the end be watered down. According to Sky News the new PM would also cancel Mahmood’s major project to merge police forces because he favours a different approach. Trouble in paradise?
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”