Andy Burnham Begins Forming Cabinet, Retains Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary

LONDON, July 22, 2026 — Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has begun assembling his top cabinet team. Signalling continued confidence, he has retained Pakistani-origin Shabana Mahmood in the key role of Home Secretary, a post she also held under Keir Starmer.
In British politics, the Home Secretary is considered the third most powerful cabinet position after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, overseeing immigration, national security, policing and other domestic affairs.
Speculation had circulated that either Mahmood or Ed Miliband could be named Chancellor, but Burnham has instead given that role to former Defence Secretary John Healey, who resigned from Starmer’s cabinet last month over disagreements on defence spending cuts. Ed Miliband has been appointed Foreign Secretary.
More MPs of Pakistani origin are expected to receive significant portfolios. A British cabinet typically comprises 23 senior ministers, while the full ministerial team — including cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and parliamentary under-secretaries — numbers around 124 people.
Political observers say the public, disillusioned with the Starmer government’s performance, has high expectations of the Burnham government. The new administration’s real test will be improving the economy and delivering swift gains in basic public services — failure to meet these expectations could quickly erode its credibility.