Natalie Fleet has stepped-down as Safeguarding Minister because the role has been too traumatic for her (she was raped as a teenager) and she doesn't feel that she can perform the role to the standard required. That is a very open and noble reason and perhaps the first resignation of its type.

Some parliamentary scrutiny of machinery of government changes is happening this week through Private Notice Questions in the Lords 👇🏻

Lord Speaker@lordspeaker.parliament.uk · 2w ago

🔴 I have granted an urgent @houseoflords.parliament.uk question to Lord Clement-Jones on the abolition of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the merging of its functions with other departments #DSIT Follow from 3.15pm ⬇️ youtube.com/live/ludNzVt...

🧵The House of Commons administration plans to abolish its world leading parliamentary outreach team. @aileenwalker.bsky.social & @estrangeirada.bsky.social explain why cutting in person public engagement across the UK in favour of digital only engagement is a mistake. Blog 🔗⬇️

Restoration and Renewal drama in week's @privateeyenews.bsky.social No idea if any of this is true or not, but the idea that Whips are involved in a "stitch up" to ensure MPs have the debate and vote they were promised before end of 2025 is an interesting interpretation...

Major machinery of govt changes including - finally! - the creation of an Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Long overdue and excellent news that the Burnham govt has grasped this nettle questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

questions-statements.parliament.uk

The rise and fall of the parliamentary outreach team: Why cutting regional engagement is a mistake - by @aileenwalker.bsky.social and myself for the @hansardsociety.bsky.social: www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/parliam...

The rise and fall of the parliamentary outreach team: Why cutting regional engagement is a mistake

The House of Commons' proposal to abolish its regional parliamentary outreach service marks a significant retreat from two decades of leadership in public engagement. Replacing face-to-face community ...

hansardsociety.org.uk

Alan Campbell survives. Rejoice, rejoice. Burnham has taken the obvious decision to deprive us of Sir Chris Bryant in the role of a lifetime and put him in Northern Ireland instead. More Campbell v Jesse Norman blockbusters it is them.

That said, what people get wrong about whips is they are less transmit than receive. It’s an information service for the PM and what happens next is up to them.

Additionally, could Burnham go for an experienced LoH who is from a different political/social tradition in Labour and who socialises in different circles? Makes it easier to keep track of the mood in the wider party (and nip problems in the bud)

The coolest kids are waiting for the LoH announcement 🤓 I'm conflicted because while no-one can deny the need for better management of the PLP, Sir Alan has been pretty good over the 10 months he's been in post. Replacing him would also threaten the (small) progress made in this Parliament on R&R...

Alice Lilly@aliceolilly.bsky.social · 2w ago

Will be interesting to see whether Burnham then chooses a longer-serving MP as Leader of the House, or again selects a newer MP (which would be a big sign of his proposed new approach to his backbenchers).

We have a new chief whip- Anneliese Midgley. In some ways unsurprising as an appointment- was a key figure in Burnham’s by-election and leadership campaign, and so will be seen by backbenchers as having the PM’s ear, which is important.…

Healey, Haigh and Miliband - South Yorkshire represent

And Defence secretaries called Healey are bound to become Chancellors

I like to think he's done this to make political journalists look stupid, and honestly I admire it.

Healey wins and Benn out. It's 1980 all over again.

Bad news I think that Hilary Benn is leaving Northern Ireland. NI is in a mess at the moment (no budget etc); Benn got to know it well in opposition and built good relations with the Irish government.

The best (but so far unlikely) option seems to be for the Liaison Committee to hold a session with Burnham over the summer. This still means various policy announcements will be made without the Commons sitting, but the Liaison Committee could provide some scrutiny, even if not open to whole HoC.

Rebecca McKee@rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 2w ago

1) Recall parliament (unclear exactly what they'd do) 2) Committees sit (they can do this during recess, either departmental committees for new SoSs or Liaison Committee for Burnham) 3) Do nothing (I think this looks a bit odd to the public? And leaves a vacuum that was unhelpful for Starmer '24)

Moving people like Josh MacAlister & Georgia Gould in education, or Sarah Jones on the policing brief, would be a mistake. It would slow down or derail reform programmes while new ministers got up to speed, wasting more time and effort. Great piece from @timdurrant.bsky.social here

Burnham’s first reshuffle should resist a sweeping change of junior ministers | Institute for Government

Beyond refreshing his Cabinet, keeping most ministers in their current roles is Burnham’s best chance of getting things done in government.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

We have our new PM. Alongside, we’ll get a whole host of new ministers. We’re expecting new leaders in most of the big public service departments: health, justice, local government, home office, & maybe education too. But what will this mean for services and all their ongoing reforms? 🧵

The King welcomes his fourth PM in four years:

Also interesting that with 25 years Burnham will be most politically experienced PM since Gordon Brown in terms of career in politics before becoming PM. Cameron (other 01 intaker!) had had about 20 years but only MP for 9. May MP for 19 years, Boris 18y career...then Truss 12 years, Rishi 7, Keir 9

NO LECTERN. NO LECTERN ALERT. CHAOS. CHAOS OF THE KIND ED COULD ONLY DREAM OF.

He's not Prime Minister Burnham, he's "Mr. Burnham" or "the Prime Minister".

I’m sad and disappointed to see that the regional outreach team (one of my old teams) is being discontinued by the House of Commons. I’ve written about it with @estrangeirada.bsky.social www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/parliam...

The rise and fall of the parliamentary outreach team: Why cutting regional engagement is a mistake

The House of Commons' proposal to abolish its regional parliamentary outreach service marks a significant retreat from two decades of leadership in public engagement. Replacing face-to-face community ...

hansardsociety.org.uk

Simon Hart, former chief whip to Boris Johnson, told me recently that the ideal size of a majority was 30 - big enough to get things done, but small enough to focus minds and discourage people from causing trouble

Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social · 2w ago

Reminded of this by @stephenkb.bsky.social's observation that "landslide majorities create more problems than they solve. Large majorities create a class of MPs who, to be blunt, are not that likely to be re-elected, who know they have no hope of promotion and just in general create trouble."

Move increases the chances of a whole new ministerial team at MoJ, with Lammy widely expected to lose his role as justice secretary. The most damning thing is that by staying for two years, Timpson has become the longest serving prisons minister *for 15 years*. This level of turnover is so damaging!

Josh Kerr smashes the mile WR by half a second. Only the 2nd Brit to hold an outdoor WR (Jonathan Edwards triple jump the other one).

🚨JOSH KERR 3:42.66 TO BREAK THE MILE WORLD RECORD🚨 FIRST PERSON IN HISTORY TO RUN A 3:42 MILE!!!!

Josh Kerr 😯😯😯😯

if you're ever visiting us, make a day of it and stop by @readingmuseum.bsky.social too - there's so much there that you'll find surprising and delightful about England's largest town™️, as well as the full-size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry! www.readingmuseum.org.uk

Reading Museum

Reading Museum is a free and fun day out for all the family. Discover more about Reading's local history, the Abbey Ruins, animals, art and more.

readingmuseum.org.uk