Andy Burnham/Premiership
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| Date | 20 July 2026 - Present |
|---|---|
| Participants | Heidi Alexander, Douglas Alexander, Chris Bryant, Andy Burnham, Alan Campbell, Yvette Cooper, Angela Eagle, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Hamish Falconer, Louise Haigh, John Healey, Stephen Kinnock, Shabana Mahmood, Anneliese Midgley, Ed Miliband, Lisa Nandy, Kanishka Narayan, Alex Norris, Matthew Pennycook, Bridget Phillipson, Lucy Powell, Angela Rayner, Ellie Reeves, Emma Reynolds, Jonathan Reynolds, Angela Smith, Wes Streeting |
Andy Burnham's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 20 July 2026.
Co-location with GCHQ
On 24 July 2026, Burnham announced the creation of a "No.10 North" in Manchester, in reference to the Prime Minister's address in London. The location is Heron House, the same address as the spook agency GCHQ's operations in the North West; where their "intelligence, cyber and science teams work here, alongside our other UK hubs".[1]
Israel lobbyists
- Alison Phillips was appointed as Andy Burnham's deputy chief of staff, resigning from Labour Together (LT), the think tank of Morgan McSweeney. In June 2026, LT received £300,000 from lobbyists David Sainsbury and Gary Lubner. Until July 16th, Philips was also a director of Hope not Hate. The group campaigned heavily for an Andy Burnham victory in the Makerfield by-election, triggered by ex-Labour Together director Josh Simons' resignation.[2]
- Matthew McGregor, another former Hope not Hate director, was selected as Andy Burnham's new head of political strategy. In 2021, McGregor contributed to HnH's annual report alongside ex-Labour councillor Liron Velleman, who later was convicted as a child sex offender. Velleman, an ex-policy officer for Hope not Hate, sent a video of his penis to a police officer he thought was a 13 year-old girl. He was a Labour councillor in Barnet alongside JLM chair Ella Rose-Jacobs.
- Mike Katz has never been elected as a Member of Parliament, but was nevertheless re-appointed by Burnham as a Labour government whip in the House of Lords.[3] In July 2021, just after Katz was appointed JLM chair, Matthew McGregor interviewed him for Hope not Hate's podcast.[4]
- Ruth Smeeth was selected for Lords Spokesperson and Minister in the Northern Ireland Office. She has worked for for a number of Israel lobby groups including Labour Friends of Israel, JLM, and BICOM. In 2009, she was named as a "strictly protect" informant in a US embassy cable.
- James Purnell was selected as Andy Burnham's first chief of staff.[5] 2002-2004 he was Chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel.
- Graeme Cooke was previously a special adviser to James Purnell, and the two men remain close allies and friends. Purnell previously was chair of the Labour Friends of Israel lobby group. Andy Burnham made Cooke director of policy at Number 10.[6]
- Ian Austin was appointed to Burnham's UK Trade Envoy to Israel.[7] The position is overseen by Jonathan Reynolds, Burnham's pick for Trade Secretary. Reynolds is a former vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel.[8]
- Varun Chandra, previously a special adviser to Keir Starmer, was also been re-appointed by Burnham. Chandra was a founding chairman of Hakluyt, a private intelligence agency founded by former members of the MI6.[9]
- Hayden Munro became Andy Burnham's first political director at Number 10. Munro previously worked for lobbying firm Arden Strategies[10], which was run by ex-Labour MP Jim Murphy. Murphy was James Purnell's predecessor as Labour Friends of Israel chair.
- Andy Burnham gave a job to Nathan Yeowell, a McSweeney ally who comes in as a special adviser at Number 10. He was soon congratulated by Labour MP and former Israel lobbyist Luke Akehurst. Yeowell's think tank Future Governance Forum is funded by Euan Blair's AI firm Multiverse and Gary Lubner.[11]
- Bridget Phillipson, appointed as Chair of the Labour Party, received £80,000 from an individual linked to Israeli military intelligence. In 2023, Bridget Phillipson registered two £40,000 donations from pro-Israeli lobbyist Stuart Roden. He is the co-founder of Hetz Ventures, which he set up with ex-IDF intelligence officer Judah Taub.[12]
- Labour MP Lisa Nandy, Burnham’s Culture Secretary, received thousands of pounds from lobbyists Stuart Roden and Trevor Chinn.[12]
Known Participants
24 of the 27 participants already have pages here:
| Participant | Description |
|---|---|
| Douglas Alexander | Back in Parliament a decade after losing his seat |
| Heidi Alexander | |
| Chris Bryant | Private school-educated Labour MP for Rhondda |
| Andy Burnham | Establishment-backed aspirant becomes Prime Minister |
| Alan Campbell | UK MP voted YES to vaccine passports in 2021 |
| Yvette Cooper | Wife of fellow WEF YGL 2005 UK labour party politician |
| Angela Eagle | Labour MP spread-eagled over eight Labour leaders |
| Miatta Fahnbulleh | Called for Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister |
| Hamish Falconer | UK Labour politician and suspected spook. |
| John Healey | He is a long-time member of Labour Friends of Israel |
| Stephen Kinnock | Married to the former Prime Minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt |
| Shabana Mahmood | Former Justice Secretary, now UK/Home Secretary |
| Anneliese Midgley | |
| Ed Miliband | WEF YGL 2008, former Labour leader (2010-2015), now Foreign Secretary |
| Lisa Nandy | UK MP who Voted YES to vaccine passports in 2021 |
| Alex Norris | A Labour Friend of Israel who voted YES to vaccine passports |
| Bridget Phillipson | |
| Lucy Powell | Backbench Labour MP elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party |
| Angela Rayner | British Labour Party politician who supported harsh lockdowns. Received "gifts" from TV mogul Waheed Alli. |
| Ellie Reeves | UK MP who voted YES to vaccine passports in 2021 |
| Emma Reynolds | Career lobbyist becomes an MP and cabinet minister |
| Jonathan Reynolds | UK MP who voted YES to vaccine passports in 2021 |
| Angela Smith | Baroness Smith of Basildon |
| Wes Streeting | Wes Streeting is being formed as a "new Tony Blair" |
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References
- ↑ https://www.gchq.gov.uk/news/no10-north-opens-at-gchqs-heron-house
- ↑ https://x.com/jodymcintyre_/status/2081783574118678857#m
- ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mike-katz-london_im-delighted-and-honoured-to-have-been-reappointed-activity-7486379085988823040-TbKm
- ↑ https://hopenothate.org.uk/podcast/episode-35-its-existential-for-the-party/
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/23/andy-burnham-picks-former-blair-minister-james-purnell-as-his-chief-of-staff
- ↑ https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/07/exclusive-andy-burnham-appoints-number-10-policy-chief
- ↑ https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/ian-austin-confirmed-in-uk-israel-trade-envoy-role/
- ↑ https://www.mpwarcrimes.co.uk/parliament/jonathan-reynolds
- ↑ https://hakluytandco.com/principal-navigations/varun-chandra/
- ↑ https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361045376/kiwi-labour-strategist-hayden-munro-become-political-director-incoming-uk-pm-andy-burnham
- ↑ https://www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/how-we-are-funded/
- ↑ a b https://www.declassifieduk.org/israel-lobby-funded-half-of-keir-starmers-cabinet/