Newly-elected Labour MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham is expected to be confirmed as the UK’s next prime minister in the coming days, having secured enough backing from Labour MPs to make it mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him for the leadership of the Labour Party.
The former mayor of Manchester is expected to reshuffle his cabinet once he has the keys to Number 10, which would trigger sweeping changes in personnel in Westminster – both on the frontbenches and on the backbenches. There’s much interest in particular in the fate of current energy secretary Ed Miliband, who is tipped as a potential chancellor in Burnham’s administration.
But what actually happens inside a Whitehall department when a new secretary of state is appointed after a reshuffle? What are the very first decisions that land on a new minister's desk? And how quickly do new special advisers (SpAds) embed themselves into Whitehall?
To find out, ECO Chamber host Tess Colley and ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter are joined by special guest Isabella Gornall, the founder of the communications agency Seahorse Environmental and former environmental advisor to Zac Goldsmith.
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