Andy Burnham is rethinking plans to appoint Ed Miliband as his chancellor, according to his supporters.
The Energy Secretary was being lined up to take over from Rachel Reeves if Burnham succeeds in his bid to become prime minister, but several sources told The i Paper that the new Makerfield MP may have cooled on the idea.
While Miliband is a favourite among the Labour Party membership – frequently topping polls of the most popular Cabinet minister – he is less popular with the public.
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Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he leaves the stage after a media conference at the end of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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NEWS
Iran-US peace talks cancelled
Peace talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland that were due to take place today have been called off. The cancellation came as Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah traded their most violent strikes since the ceasefire was established.
The negotiations were set to begin just two days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that opened a 60-day window to secure an agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme, while getting oil traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Fresh wave of attacks
The fresh wave of attacks on late Thursday saw Hezbollah target Israeli forces near the city of Nabatieh, south Lebanon, with several salvoes of rocket fire late on Thursday.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes on the city and surrounding towns, leaving at least 16 dead and 33 wounded, according to Lebanon’s ministry of health.
Caption: NABATIEH, LEBANON – JUNE 2: Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on June 2, 2026 in Nabatieh, Lebanon. Israeli forces have struck targets in Nabatieh, a major city beyond the Litani River, which is recognized as the northern boundary of a buffer zone that’s been in place since the 2006 ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. In recent days Israel has issued evacuation orders for residents across much of southern Lebanon, as it says it’s expanding ground operations to strengthen its military position against Hezbollah, in a move that marks a significant escalation in the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under international pressure, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, to engage in a new ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. (Photo by Adri Salido/Getty Images)
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Analysis
5 min read
White House response
The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the vice-president is not departing tonight.
The White House said the US looked forward to “beginning technical talks as soon as possible”.
Caption: Vice President JD Vance speaks to the press before boarding Air Force Two, Friday, April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for expected departure to Pakistan, for talks on Iran. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, pool)
Photographer: Jacquelyn Martin
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Source: AP POOL
The cancellation came so abruptly that JD Vance’s staff had gathered in anticipation of the trip.
Iran reservations
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he had approved the MOU despite reservations.
Prior to the cancellation, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said negotiators needed to see signs of the US acting on its interim agreement before the next round of peace talks could begin.
The cancellation came after reports Tehran was delaying sending its delegation to Geneva, due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.
LIVE
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Israel’s stance
Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem (Photo: Ronen Zvulun/Pool/Reuters)
Israel was not included in the peace talks and has distanced itself from the US-Iran agreement.
The MOU calls for the “permanent termination” of the war in Lebanon and for the country’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty” to be ensured.
Caption: (FILES) A fireball and smoke erupt from a building following an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on May 28, 2026. The world has settled in a high level of violence with, in 2025, the largest number of state conflicts since the end of World War II and an explosion of attacks directly targeting civilians, according to the annual PRIO Global Conflict Trends report on the trend of conflicts in the world published on June 9, 2026. (Photo by KAWANT HAJU / AFP via Getty Images)
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The Israeli military said on March 16 that it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon (Photo: Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
The Knesset has so far insisted it will not pull out its troops from south Lebanon.
People shield from the sun under an umbrella, on the Millennium Bridge in London. Temperatures could reach 32C in parts of central and southern England on Friday and are expected to remain high into the weekend, with a yellow heat health alert in place for all regions in England until July 15. Picture date: Friday July 11, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
NEWS
Amber heat health alerts in place – here’s where
With a heatwave set to develop in the coming days, amber heat health alerts have been placed across southern and eastern England.
Temperatures are set to climb above 30°C on Friday, possibly up to 32°C in south-east England. By Tuesday, it could creep up to 34°C – or higher.
Amber heat health alerts
An amber heat health alert is issued when high temperatures are likely to have a significant impact on health services.
It suggests there is likely to be an increase in deaths, especially among those aged over 65 or with long-term health conditions.
The upcoming El Niño is expected to bring a warmer and drier summer (Photo: John Keeble/Getty)
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM AUGUST 12: A woman uses a portable fan to cool down in London as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issues an amber extreme heat health alert for East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London and South East on August 12, 2025. The rest of the country remains under a yellow heat warning, with temperatures expected to exceed 35??C in some areas. (Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Source: Anadolu
A closer look at the forecast
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has placed the east, south-east and south-west of England under an amber alert until 8pm on Tuesday.
Amber alerts, where impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service, are valid across the Midlands during the same period.
Across East Anglia and south-east England on Friday, temperatures are expected to rise to the mid to high-twenties.
Around Greater London, it could be as hot as 32°C on Friday afternoon.
Computer weather models suggest the heat is likely to continue through next week, especially in the south.
There is a small possibility we’ll get close to the UK’s highest June temperature of 35.6°C, set in 1976.
MONEY
The 10 best and worst cities for house price growth
Caption: BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM – MARCH 15: Sunlight illuminate houses in terraced streets, on March 15, 2026 in Bristol, England. According to a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) soaring interest rates and falling prices have marked the end of the UK???s 13-year housing market boom and have lead to falling house prices and fears of a further house price stagnation. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
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The 10 best and worst cities for house price growth have been revealed – and there is a stark divide between the North and South of England, new data suggests.
Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, said: “Areas with lower starting price points have had more room for growth, which has contributed to a widening North-South divide.”
Stand-out figures
Manchester came out on top, with the average asking price for a home rising by around £100,000 (or 63.3 per cent) to £261,891 over the past decade.
Asking prices in the Manchester areas of Levenshulme, Atherton, Droylsden and Failsworth grew by roughly 80 per cent on average.
London, where the average asking price stands at £687,080, climbed by just 7 per cent.
Oxford and Brighton grew by 13 per cent to £554,387 and £416,440.
PROPERTY AND MORTGAGES
3 min read
The fastest growth
Experts believe changes in work patterns have fuelled the shift.
Here are the average house prices in the cities with the fastest growth:
Manchester, £261,891
Wolverhampton, £229,094
Newport, £235,275
Nottingham, £210,238
Wakefield, £231,581
Salford, £226,559
Bradford, £171,282
Stoke-on-Trent, £174,850
Doncaster, £186,378
Swansea, £215,866
The slowest growth
No locations in the South of England made a list of the top 10 cities with the fastest rates of growth. Instead, many southern cities remain on the list with the slowest growth.
Here are the average house prices for locations in the slow lane:
London, £687,080
Oxford, £554,387
Brighton, £416,440
Winchester, £543,972
Cambridge, £512,872
St Albans, £657,627
Canterbury, £367,271
Chelmsford, £402,308
Colchester, £300,714
Dundee, £170,171
uk news
Why London Marathon will be expanded to two-day event
Caption: This is a stock image of the London marathon. Here are the skincare essentials you need for running. See PA Feature BEAUTY Runner. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature BEAUTY Runner. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Alamy/PA.
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For the first time ever, the London Marathon will expand into a two-day event with men’s, women’s and elite events spread across the weekend.
A record 1.33 million people have already applied for the 2027 edition, following more than £90m raised for charity by participants in 2026.
What you need to know
Elite women, elite female para-athletes, championship and ‘good for age’ women will compete on one day, and their male equivalents on the other. The exact details for the one-off event are yet to be confirmed.
But those whose ballots are successfully drawn in July will be able to participate in person on 24 and 25 April, 2027.
Runners taking part in the London Marathon last month. Online fundraising sites are often used by participants who running for charity (Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Interview
5 min read
After a milestone 2026 event
Event organisers have earmarked two guaranteed entries for every school in the capital for teachers or staff. While extra guaranteed entries have also been allocated to every London borough along the route.
Caption: Athletics – London Marathon – London, Britain – April 26, 2026 Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe crosses the finish line to win the men’s elite race REUTERS/Matthew Childs
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Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 26: Sabastian Sawe of Team Kenya celebrates crossing the line and winning with a new World Record time during the Men???s 2026 TCS London Marathon on April 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Photographer: Karwai Tang
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Source: WireImage
Copyright: 2026 Karwai Tang
The 2026 event attracted a record 59,830 finishers, and was the site Sabastian Sawe’s world record one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.
What Khan has said
This unique, one-off double will allow a record 100,000 participants to take part across the two days – creating the largest fundraising moment in UK sporting history and supporting the work of so many incredible charities.
London mayor Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan (Photo: James Manning/PA Wire)
How much will be raised?
London Marathon Double is our most ambitious evolution to date.
London Marathon CEO Hugh Brasher has estimated that the expanded event could raise over £150m for charities, and £400m for the wider UK economy.
He said: “The 2027 TCS London Marathon Double is our most ambitious evolution to date.”
After the race energy levels will be low (Photo:Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)
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A senior party source said: “He [Burnham] knows it would be problematic.”
Another supportive MP claimed he would not give Miliband that role and has not offered it to him.
Burnham’s key concern, allies insist, is Miliband’s continued support for Labour’s manifesto commitment to no new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.
“People are watching their bills go up and cannot understand why we are not using the resources we already have in the North Sea. People are really angry about it – especially in places like the Makerfield constituency,” a senior Labour source said.
Burnham has previously left the door open to new North Sea drilling, telling the BBC in an interview last month: “I am not saying that I have completely made a view, actually, on the North Sea issue. I am listening to what people are saying about that.”
While more drilling would be unlikely to significantly reduce UK energy prices as this is largely influenced by global markets, supporters say it would boost British jobs and tax revenue while providing enough energy to heat more than a million homes and a more secure energy stream than imported liquefied natural gas.
Burnham’s allies suggest Miliband would have to be willing to approve the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields – Shell’s gas field off Aberdeen and the vast Equinor oil field off Shetland – to put himself back in the running for chancellor.
Other candidates in the fray
Other names in the frame for the role have included Reeves, who would likely have been Burnham’s shadow chancellor had he won the Labour leadership contest in 2015, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, and Wes Streeting, the former health secretary and leadership hopeful.
However, the dark horse in the race is thought to be John Healey, the former defence secretary, who is both ambitious and well liked within the party. But Healey is also someone who could potentially enter a leadership race.
The other job in any future Burnham cabinet likely to be hotly contested is the role of deputy prime minister. According to multiple Labour sources, both Angela Rayner, who has previously held the job, and Lucy Powell, the party’s deputy leader, are keen on the position.
Labour MPs Anneliese Midgley and Louise Haigh, who helped lead the Makerfield by-election campaign, are both tipped for prominent roles if Burnham gets into No 10. Haigh has been linked to the job of chief secretary to the Prime Minister – the role currently held by Darren Jones – while Midgley is understood to be in the running for Burnham’s chief whip.
Meanwhile, Lisa Nandy – another member of what Burnham affectionately called the “Northern women powerhouse” – is believed to want to stay in her current position as Culture Secretary.
Burnham’s first official appointment was Grace Pritchard – Miliband’s former special adviser who was on loan to him during the campaign – as his head of communications.
Despite claims he has already offered jobs to “huge numbers of people” in return for their support, his allies insist this is not the case.
However, with Burnham expected to be sworn in as the new Labour MP for Makerfield on Monday, swiftly followed by a tilt at No 10, it may not be long before he starts having to make decisions about the people he wants to appoint to his top team.