Andy Burnham chooses Labour Friends of Israel ex-chair as chief of staff, report says
James Purnell was a cabinet minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
Britain’s then secretary of state for work and pensions, James Purnell, makes a statement to the press in central London, on 24 January 2008 (Shaun Curry/AFP)
Andy Burnham has reportedly asked former minister James Purnell, who was once chair of the Labour Friends of Israel group and has been the chief executive of a major lobbying firm, to be his chief of staff.
Burnham, who is likely to replace Keir Starmer as the British prime minister by 17 July, is preparing his team for government and is working with figures from different sides of the Labour Party.
Burnham’s current allies include Josh Simons, the former director of the think tank Labour Together, which is widely credited with propelling Starmer to power, but also MP Louise Haigh, reportedly a victim of the Labour Together machine.
Chief of staff is a crucial role and would make Purnell Burnham’s right-hand man. According to the Guardian, Purnell has indicated he will accept the role.
Purnell was a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in the 2000s. He shared an office with Burnham, a fellow minister, in the Blair years.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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