What does Burnham’s appointment of James Purnell mean?
6/24/202623 min
Andy Burnham appears to have taken another major step towards power, bringing in a big name from the Blair era – James Purnell – as his chief of staff.
What does it say about the Burnham operation and the government he is trying to build?
Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy unpack a decades-long relationship, and discuss why it’s being welcomed by Labour MPs, business and the city.
Plus, as Starmer ally Darren Jones rules himself out of a leadership challenge, is the path now clear for a Burnham coronation?
And Anne has been speaking to Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick. How do they deal with a new Labour leader, and do they have a clear narrative on migration?
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsEd Conway0:00
[upbeat music] How does a banana trigger a CIA-backed coup? Do AirPods herald the arrival of a new global order? What do LED lights say about the future of humanity? I'm Ed Conway, and in each episode of my new podcast, Stuff Matters, I take an object, crack it open, and reveal the world-shaping forces hidden inside. This is economics told through the things we think we understand. Search Stuff Matters on your podcast app to listen and follow.
Sam Coates· Host0:29
[upbeat music] Hello, good morning, and welcome. It's Wednesday, June the 24th. Another big Blair-era political figure is about to reenter our politics. James Purnell, minister under Mr. Tony, cabinet minister under Gordon Brown, is set to be made Andy Burnham's chief of staff. In the last 24 hours, I've talked to so many people that say they were sworn to secrecy about the appointment. It turned out not to be a very good secret after all. Last night, representatives of the business and finance world told me that the appointment would be a major reassurance about the Burnham government to them. My name is Sam Coates of Sky News.
Anne McElvoy· Host1:07
And I'm Anne McElvoy from Politico. Purnell is a close friend of Andy Burnham, first a special advisor in Downing Street back in 1997 when Tony Blair walked through the door of Number 10. He was a pensions minister, later a culture secretary, too, under Gordon Brown, uh, and then work and pensions secretary