Clive Lewis MP wants Ed Miliband to be appointed as chancellor
He said most on the Labour left think Miliband’s appointment is critical to delivering a progressive economic agenda
Labour MP Clive Lewis has said that he wants to see Ed Miliband appointed as chancellor under an Andy Burnham government.
Lewis said that Miliband’s appointment is seen as “critical” to Burnham’s government delivering a more progressive economic agenda.
He told Left Foot Forward: “Most on the Labour left think his appointment is critical to any kind of broadly progressive economic policy that’s going to make the changes Burnham promised in Makerfield on abandoning 40 years of neoliberalism”.
Burnham, who is expected to take over from Keir Starmer in the coming weeks, is reported to ber considering replacing Rachel Reeves as chancellor.
Shabana Mahmood and Wes Streeting are rumoured to be potential contenders to replace Reeves, but several Labour figures, including Burnham ally Lucy Powell and Baronness Harriet Harman say Miliband should take on the job.
Lewis even suggested Burnham may have chosen James Purnell, who was an ex-minister under Tony Blair and a former corporate lobbyist, as his chief of staff to “placate certain sectors”.
He said Purnell’s appointment “was an interesting one, not one I would have made”.
However, Lewis stated: “You just don’t know what the tactic is. Is the tactic to, in effect, placate certain sectors and big corporations, to make political space for Ed Miliband?”.
“If the roles were reversed and I was there, I would be thinking very carefully about how I made sure there wasn’t a run on the pound and a gilt surge. How do you do that?”.
The Norwich South MP said it would be a different story if they put Purnell as Burnham’s chief of staff and then Wes Streeting was appointed as Chancellor.
“Then you’d start asking questions,” he said, “but we’re not there yet.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
Donate today
