There are concerns in Downing Street over Louise Haigh, briefed as the ‘most powerful woman in government’ and Burnham’s right hand. Haigh was handed Deputy Prime Ministerial powers as first secretary as well as the running of the new Office of the PM and Cabinet…
Downing Street insiders stress that Haigh, who was forced out of Starmer’s government as Transport Secretary after details of her fraud conviction emerged, is “still full of rage about having been sacked.” She is held responsible, along with to some extent Angela Rayner, for the brutality of the “revenge reshuffle.” Which purged anyone connected to Morgan McSweeney and caused no small amount of bad blood…
Guido understands Burnham has a close working relationship with proactive Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo, who has led on machinery of government changes including splitting the Cabinet Office in two. A No10 source said: “That relationship appears to be annoying Lou as well – she wants to be the only person Andy reaches for.” A government source added: “It’s early days but jealousy can torpedo smooth decision-making.” Close-knit teams have their own set of problems…
Burnham and his close confidantes have prided themselves on being a tiny group in the playground with whom everyone now wants to be friends. To that effect they have also delighted in the Lobby’s humiliation over Shabana Mahmood’s Cabinet appointment. Downing Street sources tell Guido there are worries the first secretary is an “unexploded bomb” and will cause problems for Burnham further down the line. Make Haigh while the sun shines…
Burnham confirms he spoke to Trump last night about drilling in the North Sea:
“I indicated in the phone call that we had a week last Monday that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward from here. There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can’t ignore that. Hence, me indicating that to the president…”