Louise Haigh was instrumental in choosing and interviewing the candidates for senior positions in Andy Burnham’s new Cabinet, The i Paper has been told.
In a highly unusual move that underlines the extent of her influence, Haigh – the first woman to serve as First Secretary of State since Barbara Castle – was tasked with shaping the new Prime Minister’s top team, according to multiple government sources.
Haigh, who resigned as Transport Secretary in 2024 after it emerged she had pleaded guilty to a fraud offence a decade earlier, has become one of the most powerful figures in Burnham’s administration since helping to steer his leadership campaign.
Shorts
A close political ally of the Prime Minister, she is widely regarded within Labour as one of his most trusted advisers.
