Ex-Minister Slams Burnham's Decision To 'Unceremoniously Sack Competent People' From Government

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/andy-burnham" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andy Burnham has been slammed by a former https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/labour" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Labour minister for implementing a major reshuffle in government.

The prime minister officially got the keys to No.10 last Monday and has turned government upside down over the last week by removing most of https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/keir-starmer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keir Starmer’s allies from positions of power.

This week, he revealed all of the new parliamentary private secretaries (PPS) – MPs who liaise between government and the backbenches – who will be working for each department.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/feeds/news/labour" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Labour’s new chief whip has promised that these junior roles will be strengthened under Burnham, with greater responsibilities.

According to Anneliese Midgeley, these appointments were done in consultation with cabinet ministers.

But Labour MP Tulip Siddiq was quick to criticise the churn among the backbenchers.

The former anti-corruption minister – who has not been in government for more than a year – wrote on X: “It’s been extremely frustrating to see so many competent people unceremoniously sacked from government.

“This latest list showing sacked PPS’ makes me despair in particular because PPS-ing is not a glamorous job and so many of these MPs just got on with it, put in the hours and would have been an asset to any Labour government.”

Referring to Abena Oppong-Asare who was the PPS for No.10, Siddiq continued: “Not to mention that the first Black woman ever to be PPS to a prime minister was removed. (Happy to be corrected if she wasn’t the first but my point stands either way).”

The government has been approached for comment.

Siddiq resigned as the anti-corruption minister in Starmer’s government in January 2025.

She has been scrutinised over her links to her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh accused of corruption.

In December, Bangladesh https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9dyd84lwo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">convicted Siddiq in absentia and sentenced her to two years behind bars while also slapping her with a fine over corruption allegations.

Siddiq was https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9dyd84lwo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">found guilty of influencing her aunt to broker a deal in 2013 with Russia for a nuclear power plant in the the south Asian country, a claim she denies.

The Labour backbencher told the https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9dyd84lwo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BBC in December she was “absolutely baffled by the whole thing”, rejecting the “malicious allegations” and insisting the process had been “flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end”.

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