Ed Miliband pushes for Chancellor job as Cabinet ministers woo Andy Burnham for top roles

Ed Miliband has made a major push to become Chancellor of the Exchequer under an Andy Burnham premiership, reports suggest.

The Energy Secretary is believed to be the favourite to replace Rachel Reeves in the Treasury should Sir Keir Starmer lose a leadership challenge to the Manchester Mayor.

Mr Miliband's special adviser has been sent to Makerfield to campaign for Mr Burnham in the upcoming by-election.

The same adviser was also sent in February to campaign in Gorton and Denton, which was won by the Greens' Hannah Spencer.

A Labour insider told The Times: "Ed is very protective of his staff. He would never lend them to other people unless he had been guaranteed a fairly significant return favour."

Other ministers have made attempts to woo Mr Burnham.

Despite allies of the Prime Minister confirming he will not join the by-election campaign, senior members of the Cabinet, including Ms Reeves, have not ruled out travelling to Makerfield, with MPs viewing her decision as an indicator of where her loyalties lie.

Ms Reeves was among the first Labour MPs to endorse him when running for leadership back in 2015.

However, Mr Burnham is also widely expected to make Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader, his deputy prime minister if he defeats Nigel Farage's Reform UK in Makerfield and then wins a leadership challenge.

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Inflation falls to 2.8% in 'much welcome relief' for Britons but economy faces 'long-term pressures'

Inflation fell to 2.8 per cent for the 12 months to April 2026, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A drop in last month's consumer price index (CPI) rate was predicted by economists as a drop in household energy bills was expected to offset the spike in fuel prices resulting from the US-Iran war.

However, most economists had expected inflation to sit around three per cent over the period with this better-than-expected drop being considered "much welcome relief for Rachel Reeves".__

The Chancellor has made correcting the course of the economy and improving gross domestic product (GDP) growth central to her fiscal agenda since taking the reins of the Treasury.

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​John Swinney will be sworn in again as First Minister today

John Swinney will be sworn in again as First Minister today before he appoints his top team.

The SNP leader was elected as First Minister for the second time yesterday after his party won 58 seats at this month’s election.

He told MSPs he was "determined to get on with the job” in Holyrood as he shook the hands of fellow party leaders following a series of votes, despite no other candidate looking likely to win the backing of a majority of MSPs.

Mr Swinney told Holyrood: "The people have again returned a pro-independence majority to this Parliament, the largest ever elected.

"They have said with a resounding voice that decisions about Scotland’s future should be taken here in Scotland, and I will ensure that the people have the right to decide on their own future.”

Keir Starmer handed blueprints for how to enforce digital ID without sparking public fury

Sir Keir Starmer has been handed the blueprints for how to roll out digital ID without risking the public's wrath.

A Home Affairs Committee report has determined a lack of consultation and poor communication had "raised fears of Government over-reach" when the PM tried to introduce the controversial scheme last year.

Chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley said the rollout of digital ID was "nothing short of a fiasco", which "came out of the blue and made little sense".

She added: "It raised fears of Government over-reach into people's lives and was so poorly thought out that they had few answers to ease these concerns.

"It is worth bearing in mind that this was a policy direction that was generally well received by the public before they were spooked by the Government’s poorly thought out and badly explained plans."

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