Burnham expands government ranks with 61 PPS appointments amid Labour discipline push

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Burnham expands government PPS

Highlights

Burnham made a record 61 parliamentary private secretary appointments, raising the government payroll above Sunak's previous figures and binding MPs to support votes.
Labour's use of expanded PPS roles aims to reduce backbench rebellions and reflects a broader range of party traditions, but risks greater instability if resignations occur.
YouGov polling shows Labour level with Reform UK at 22 per cent, while More in Common gives Labour a 4-point lead, reflecting recent gains after Burnham became prime minister.

Expanded appointments reshape Labour management

As reported by Financial Times, Burnham announced on Monday a record 61 parliamentary private secretary appointments after already naming 125 ministers and whips, narrowly exceeding the previous record set under Rishi Sunak. Parliamentary private secretaries are unpaid, but the roles tie their holders to support the government in parliamentary votes, making them a useful tool for reducing the risk of rebellion.

Burnham’s 61 PPS appointments work out at roughly three in most departments, up from a total of 55 in November. Counting the full payroll vote remains difficult because it also includes ministers, trade envoys, mission champions and PPSs, while the envoy and champion roles have not yet been filled.

Anneliese Midgley, the new chief whip, said Burnham wants to “elevate” the PPS role by giving holders greater scope for media and parliamentary activity, including on national policy, subject to approval from departmental media advisers and Number 10. She also said the appointments reflect the “full range of Labour traditions”, spanning from the Blairite Progress movement to the leftwing Socialist Campaign Group.

Political risks and poll backdrop

Burnham’s approach follows the tensions that damaged Starmer last summer, when Labour MPs opposed efforts to cut the welfare bill. Hannah White, head of the Institute for Government think-tank, said a larger PPS cohort could either be a way to reduce rebellions or a means of giving more backbenchers, especially the 2024 intake, a closer view of how government works.

White also warned that enlarging the group could increase the risk of destabilisation if PPSs later resign over specific policy disputes. Tulip Siddiq, a former City minister and Starmer ally, criticised the reshuffle, saying it was frustrating to see capable figures removed from government and that the latest PPS list added to that concern.

Labour is also benefiting from a modest improvement in polling since Burnham became prime minister. A YouGov poll put Labour level with Reform UK on 22 per cent, with the Conservatives on 21 per cent, while a More in Common poll gave Labour its first lead in more than a year at 28 per cent against 24 per cent for Reform. Burnham is due to make announcements this week on youth employment, a new social care system, higher defence spending and devolution, with Downing Street saying he will confront problems directly.

In our earlier coverage of Burnham’s Whitehall overhaul, we outlined plans to strengthen power at the centre through the creation of the Office of the Prime Minister and the launch of “Number 10 North”. We also examined the risks around departmental mergers—particularly folding the former science and technology brief into a larger business department—and the strain of expanded ministerial remits, which could complicate delivery across digital and industrial policy.

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