As Andy Burnham appointed his new cabinet late into the night on 20 July, the “holding pen” for cabinet ministers inside No 10 grew crowded. Those who had been appointed were waiting for their propriety and ethics checks and the King’s formal approval, while those who had not yet been seen by the Prime Minister waited their turn. As they sat there, with the world’s media waiting outside, one of the cabinet’s renowned gossips urged colleagues to share their new roles. “What have you got?! Go on, tell me!” Some divulged. Others said nothing.
Reshuffles are a tricky business, creating “one ungrateful person and a hundred enemies”, as the saying goes. Burnham’s was no exception. While there were plenty of winners, there are many disappointed people around the cabinet table, and many more heartbroken and furious outside it. Even a usually loyal Burnham insider calls the sackings “savage”, referring to the dismissal of Darren Jones (former chief secretary to the prime minister), Bridget Phillipson’s demotion, and the sheer extent of the clearout. “It was a revenge mission,” one departing aide reflects.