Cabinet ministers are scrambling to secure positions in a future Andy Burnham government after his selection triggered what one Labour insider described as a full-scale “race for jobs” inside the party.
Senior ministers are preparing visits to Makerfield amid growing expectations in Westminster that Burnham could ultimately take the Labour leadership – and with it the power to appoint the next Cabinet.
“The equation cabinet ministers are making is that if they go and he wins they will get a plum job,” one senior source said. “If they don’t go and he wins, he will remember. And if they don’t go and he loses, he will remember.”
Shorts
Even the most loyal Cabinet ministers are expected to make appearances in Makerfield over the coming weeks as they seek to avoid being shut out of Burnham’s inner circle – even if this means they could be ultimately campaigning for a man who is preparing to oust their boss.
