Andy Burnham says he will end culture of briefing against female ministers

Andy Burnham is likely to face pressure to appoint a high number of female cabinet ministers, especially if he replaces Rachel Reeves as chancellor with a man. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham is likely to face pressure to appoint a high number of female cabinet ministers, especially if he replaces Rachel Reeves as chancellor with a man. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Andy Burnham says he will end culture of briefing against female ministers PM hopeful tells meeting of women’s parliamentary Labour party that any staff who undermine female members of his team will be sacked UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has said he will to end the culture of briefing against female ministers, promising Labour MPs he will sack any staff who undermine women in his team. Speaking at the meeting of the women’s parliamentary Labour party in Westminster, Burnham also strongly criticised descriptions of him as “the first female Labour PM” in the Spectator. Senior women under Keir Starmer have complained of a “boys club” culture, despite Starmer hiring multiple women to his team and making Rachel Reeves the first female chancellor. But MPs felt female ministers had a disproportionate number of negative stories leaked about them, including the former transport secretary turned Burnham adviser, Louise Haigh, as well as the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson. Burnham told MPs at the meeting: “Culture really does matter and we need to change that culture. “I want to make it clear that if anyone in my team was found to have done that [negative briefing] they would be out of the door. Their feet wouldn’t touch the floor. “And I want to put on record that I never have and never will describe myself as the first female Labour PM.” Labour has never elected a female leader and Labour MPs were irritated at the description by a senior Labour figure quoted in the Spectator, who said Burnham could be the “first woman prime minister” because he cared about an “unashamedly female agenda” including health, education and family finances, rather than “budgets and bombs”. MPs said that when Burnham was asked at the meeting about asylum policy he praised the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, as well as plans for jury trial reform which some abuse survivors have opposed, though the Ministry of Justice has said it will speed up cases for victims. Burnham is likely to face pressure to appoint a high number of female cabinet ministers, especially if he removes Reeves as chancellor and replaces her with a man. His chief of staff will be his close friend and former cabinet minister James Purnell. The role under Starmer is shared by two women: Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson. Some of Burnham’s closest allies and organisers during his election campaign and in Westminster are women, including Haigh and the Knowsley MP, Anneliese Midgley, who will both likely get very senior roles. View i