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Andy Burnham and his cabinet ministers have been doing a lot of awkward hugs this week. Whatever happened to the good old fashioned handshake?

Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson have their say on the latest episode of In The Room where they review Burnham’s first week in office.

Listen now or watch on YouTube. by @intheroom.pod

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Overcrowded prisons were back on the agenda this week after the widow of PC Andrew Harper - who was killed in the line of duty in 2019 - described the possible early release of two of his killer as “deplorable”.

In an otherwise carefully planned week of flashy policy announcements, it forced new prime minister Andy Burnham to pause the scheme, saying: “No prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public.”

Former special advisor at No. 10 Cleo Watson suggests there may be another way for the government to hit their targets on prison overcrowding.

Find the full episode wherever you get your podcasts - just search for ‘In The Room’. by @intheroom.pod

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‘I would have put Wes Streeting back in as health secretary’ says former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara.

After resigning from the post - the first significant resignations in the final days of Starmer’s premiership - Streeting has now be re-appointed as defence secretary. The move came as a surprise to some as Yvette Cooper was shuffled from the Foreign Office to the Department of Health.

In this week’s episode of In The Room, we analyse Andy Burnham’s cabinet picks. Find the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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3 days ago

In the build-up to Andy Burnham’s arrival in No 10 on Monday, it had been widely briefed that the current home secretary Shabana Mahmood would take up post as chancellor. Political watchers got a shock when ex-defence secretary John Healey, whose resignation from the cabinet in June, turbocharged Keir Starmer’s eventual downfall, was announced as Burnham’s top money man.

His resignation came after a row about defence spending. Does this mean he’ll write a massive cheque to the Ministry of Defence?

For full analysis and reaction, find In The Room wherever you listen to podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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Angela Rayner is back in the cabinet. She was re-appointed by Andy Burnham as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government after her resignation last September after resigning over her tax affairs.

Since then, Rayner announced she had settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty, and had been “exonerated” of the accusation she had “deliberately sought to avoid tax”.

After being hotly tipped as a leadership rival to Keir Starmer, is the return of Angela Rayner going to bolster Burnham’s government?

For full analysis and reaction, find In The Room wherever you listen to podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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The Miliband brothers were both tipped for cabinet roles. Some predicted David might be appointed to the House of Lords and parachuted into government as foreign secretary but it turns out it would be Ed all along.

The former Labour leader and secretary of state for energy and net zero had previously been tipped as a possible chancellor. So what does Andy Burnham’s decision to install Ed Miliband as foreign secretary really mean?

In this week’s episode of In The Room, we analyse Andy Burnham’s cabinet picks. Find the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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‘There were some highs and some lows of Andy Burnham’s cabinet. I’d give them a 6 out of 10.’

Former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara and ex-No 10 special adviser Cleo Watson have their say on Andy Burnham’s cabinet picks on the latest episode of In The Room.

On Monday, Burnham became prime minister - making him the UK’s seventh in ten years - and swiftly got round to sacking most of his predecessor Keir Starmer’s cabinet. So who did he choose to replace them?

For full analysis and reaction, find In The Room wherever you listen to podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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Shabana Mahmood is hotly tipped to be announced as Andy Burnham’s chancellor. She’s previously been in ‘two quite big and complicated jobs’ - justice secretary and home secretary. How much of her success there can she translate into the Treasury?

In our latest episode we explain the dynamics between No 10 and the Treasury and explain why earlier criticism of Mahmood could be misplaced. by @intheroom.pod

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6 days ago

One of the first jobs of a new prime minister is giving instruction to our nuclear submarine commanders in the event they cannot contact the UK after the nuclear attack.

So, is it a myth that Andy Burnham gets the ‘nuclear codes’?

For more on the new PM’s first day in office, listen to the latest episode of In The Room. by @intheroom.pod

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Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson worked closely with Boris Johnson on his first day as prime minister - assisting in the transition of power from Theresa May. Any new PM’s first day on the job requires a lot of hiring and firing. So why was it the latter that Johnson enjoyed so much on his first day in office?

Listen to the full episode of In The Room wherever you get your podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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7 days ago

Ed Miliband had been tipped as Andy Burnham’s pick for chancellor - but critics warned he could rattle markets and hand rivals an easy attack line. Cleo Watson, former special adviser to Boris Johnson and Theresa May, weighs up Miliband against Shabana Mahmood in the battle for Burnham’s top economic job.
Listen to the full episode of In The Room wherever you get your podcasts. by @intheroom.pod

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8 days ago

Andy Burnham’s cabinet is starting to become a little clearer, with the key position of chancellor now widely expected to be filled by Shabana Mahmood.
Mahmood is the current home secretary and while she has previously held the role of shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, she does not have an economics background, and there is a lack of certainty over her economic leanings and preferences.
In today’s episode we explain the dynamics between No 10 and the Treasury and explain why earlier criticism of Mahmood could be misplaced. by @intheroom.pod

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