New UK prime minister Andy Burnham has unexpectedly appointed former defence
secretary John Healey as chancellor of the exchequer. Healey served as a junior
Treasury minister from 2002–07 but was not regarded as a frontrunner; Home
Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had been viewed as
leading candidates. Burnham’s pick may reflect a preference for a chancellor who
will implement his agenda rather than pursue independent policy. Healey resigned
from Keir Starmer’s government in protest at delays to planned defence spending
increases amid rising external threats; his resignation was widely seen as a
decisive blow to Starmer’s prospects.
