Lucy Powell Attacks ‘Horrible’ Speculation Around Burnham Cabinet

Lucy Powell has claimed speculation about Andy Burnham’s cabinet has been “horrible” in an attack on the media.

The deputy Labour leader blamed the press for reporting on the briefings coming from within the party about who might be in the incoming prime minister’s top team.

Burnham was confirmed as the leader of the Labour Party on Friday after running uncontested to replace Keir Starmer, and will be announced as prime minister on Monday.

He said last week he has not yet decided on his ministers because he thinks it would “cause complete chaos if you start half a reshuffle before you’re in position”.

His refusal to confirm who might be in his cabinet and at the heart of his government operation has led to widespread confusion – even though Burnham has pledged to make Labour more united and to stop in-fighting.

BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg asked Powell, a close ally to Burnham, about the particularly mixed reports about whether energy secretary Ed Miliband might get a senior position.

The presenter said: “Burnham has promised to end factionalism in the Labour Party but there has been quite a lot of briefing already, a lot of briefing against Ed Miliband.

“It doesn’t bode, very well, does it, for Andy Burnham’s promise of ending all that unhappiness and in-fighting within the party?”

Powell replied: “There’s been a lot of speculation in the media about various individuals which has been really quite horrible, to be honest, and unedifying.

“I know that as political journalists, maybe you’ve not had the story of the Labour leadership crisis to write about for the last few weeks, because actually I’m really proud of the way in which the Labour Party has come together in a consensus around Andy Burnham being the next leader.”

She claimed the media is “looking for other personalities and other disagreements” to write about.

Kuenssberg hit back: “Journalists write about things they are told about.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Tory minister, then criticised Powell’s response while sitting on Kuenssberg’s panel.

“Lucy Powell, an admirable person in many ways, was saying something she knows isn’t true at the end, when she said these stories are coming from disgruntled journalists because they didn’t have a big enough story to write,” he said.

Rees-Mogg added that reporters “do not make things up” and only write “what they are given by politicians”.

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