Andy Burnham chooses Labour Friends of Israel ex-chair as chief of staff, report says Submitted by Imran Mulla on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 12:49 James Purnell was a cabinet minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown Britain's then secretary of state for work and pensions, James Purnell, makes a statement to the press in central London, on 24 January 2008 (Shaun Curry/AFP) Off Andy Burnham has reportedly asked former minister James Purnell, who was once chair of the Labour Friends of Israel group and has been the chief executive of a major lobbying firm, to be his chief of staff. Burnham, who is likely to replace Keir Starmer as the British prime minister by 17 July, is preparing his team for government and is working with figures from different sides of the Labour Party. Burnham's current allies include Josh Simons , the former director of the think tank Labour Together, which is widely credited with propelling Starmer to power, but also MP  Louise Haigh , reportedly a victim of the Labour Together machine.