Andy Burnham latest: New Labour leader plans policy blitz – including revived oil and gas drilling in North Sea

Wes Streeting could return to cabinet after Andy Burnham resigned as health secretary earlier this year as he eyed new ministers.

Dan Jarvis is expected to be sacked as defense secretary and Mr Streeting is reportedly in talks to take over. Policy.

Angela Rayner could return to cabinet as health minister, according to reports. Telegram.

Ms Rayner is believed to be a frontrunner for the role in her political comeback after resigning as Labor deputy leader and housing minister last year.

Following concerns over the way Labor is pursuing Nigel Farage’s policies on immigration, Andy Burnham promised to be “also Labor” in his governing style, as part of his acceptance speech.

“We’re not going to leave the Greens behind, we’re not going to leave Reform behind or put on too many Tory clothes doing what we’ve done in the past,” he insisted.

Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which the new leader said he would follow, promised to honor existing licenses but not grant new ones.

The fate of two oil fields in Scotland – Rosebank and Jackdaw – which regulators approved under the Conservative government in 2022 and 2023 but were canceled in 2025 following a legal challenge, has become a contentious issue within the Labor Party.

Some lawmakers have called for more drilling to help keep energy bills low, while others have insisted that increasing renewable energy is the way to improve energy security. The BBC reported that an announcement could be made by Monday.

The announcement is believed to form part of a raft of new policy measures, including plans to take public control of water and energy companies and a new town hall building programme.

Nigel Farage has called for an immediate general election, claiming Andy Burnham has no authority to lead the country.

The Reform UK leader said his party could cause a “historic upset” but Mr Farage claimed Britain risked “turning into a third world country” within 10 years if it failed to get into 10th place.

“Nothing is going to get better under Andy Burnham,” he said, adding that he wants “the biggest change of direction in politics in the last 40 years, and he has no authority on this issue outside of the 25,000 voters in Makerfield.”

Nigel Farage will face 33 rival candidates in the by-election, which he launched to protest media scrutiny and parliamentary scrutiny of his finances and supporters.

Westminster’s main parties are boycotting the Clacton by-election, dismissing it as a vote by the UK Reform leader and leaving joke candidate Count Binface and actor-turned-politician Laurence Fox as their highest-profile rivals.

Mr Farage wanted the contest to be a showdown “against the people and the establishment” but he now faces challengers including three from the Official Monster Mad Mad Party and a number of independents.

Tendring District Council said a total of 34 candidates were running in the 13 August by-election, believed to be a record in the parliamentary competition.

Andy Burnham will spend the weekend with allies preparing to become prime minister and says he plans to make a “dynamic start” with measures to ease the cost of living squeeze.

He said he was still in the process of “finalizing” his cabinet after heated speculation over his choice of chancellor at Westminster, with allies on the Labor left backing Ed Miliband but reports suggesting home secretary Shabana Mahmood would take on the crucial role.

Mr Burnham said there had been “a lot” of speculation and that he would announce his ministerial team on Monday.

“I am finalizing these decisions, I will come to conclusions very quickly and then I will announce them on Monday,” he said.