Responding to Andy Burnham's Cabinet appointees, People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said,
"The formation of the new Labour cabinet does not represent a meaningful break with the political failures of the Starmer government.
Burnham has talked the talk, but his cabinet picks make it clear that his talk is cheap.
All his senior cabinet choices have long been at the heart of everything that is wrong with the British Labour Party.
The appointment of John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer illustrates the real direction of travel for the new Labour leadership.
Healey as Defence Minister signed off on British military complicity in Israel’s Gaza genocide. Healey quit Starmer’s cabinet because he wanted more money for the British war machine and less for caring for pensioners, the sick and the poor. A man obsessed with military spending now controls the purse strings of British governance.
There is also a glaring hypocrisy in the position of Ed Miliband.
While presenting himself as a voice of climate responsibility, he has remained notably silent on the issue of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea. Miliband’s total abandonment of his principles has landed him the plum job of Foreign Secretary. The Minister who proscribed Palestine Action and oversaw the mass arrests of pacifist pensioners, is incredibly now the Secretary of State for Health.
Yvette Cooper has broken everything she has touched while in governmental positions, now she is in charge of our precious NHS.
The removal of extreme right-wingers like David Lammy and Rachel Reeves may have garnered positive headlines for Prime Minister Burnham, but these high-profile exits merely distracted from the dismal state of his appointees.
Peter Mandelson’s protege Wes Streeting is Minister for Defence.
The disastrous Shabana Mahmood maintains her position as Home Secretary so she can continue to strip away democratic rights.
It is clear from the get-go the direction of travel for the Burnham regime.
Trade Unions and activists need to be ready for the fight to challenge this government.
It’s clear that the new Labour leadership offer no bold solutions when it comes to the fight against poverty and exploitation.
The anti-war movement must redouble its efforts to fight for justice for Palestine and end to Israel’s grotesque influence on British politics.
No one should be taken in by the Burnham rebrand of failed New Labour policies.The only saviour the working class have is themselves."