Ed Miliband has made a major push to become Chancellor of the Exchequer under an Andy Burnham premiership, reports suggest.
The Energy Secretary is believed to be the favourite to replace Rachel Reeves in the Treasury should Sir Keir Starmer lose a leadership challenge to the Manchester Mayor.
Mr Miliband's special adviser has been sent to Makerfield to campaign for Mr Burnham in the upcoming by-election.
The same adviser was also sent in February to campaign in Gorton and Denton, which was won by the Greens' Hannah Spencer.
A Labour insider told The Times: "Ed is very protective of his staff. He would never lend them to other people unless he had been guaranteed a fairly significant return favour."
Other ministers have made attempts to woo Mr Burnham.
Despite allies of the Prime Minister confirming he will not join the by-election campaign, senior members of the Cabinet, including Ms Reeves, have not ruled out travelling to Makerfield, with MPs viewing her decision as an indicator of where her loyalties lie.
Ms Reeves was among the first Labour MPs to endorse him when running for leadership back in 2015.
However, Mr Burnham is also widely expected to make Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader, his deputy prime minister if he defeats Nigel Farage's Reform UK in Makerfield and then wins a leadership challenge.
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Labour given new powers to bypass judicial reviews in net-zero push
Parliament will get powers to approve critical energy projects and limit judicial reviews that can hold them up under reforms to be announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The changes would allow Parliament to designate critical national importance (CNI) to the most important clean energy projects, such as new power stations and offshore wind farms.
This would reduce the potential grounds for judicial review.
For all other nationally significant infrastructure, including transport and water projects, the Government will introduce a fixed legal challenge window, at the end of which the planning consent could be updated to address any legitimate issues.
A policy note on the changes, which aim to shore up energy security and drive down bills, is being published on Wednesday.
A Treasury spokesperson said: "For too long, vital infrastructure delivery has been delayed by judicial reviews of projects the country needs.
"The Chancellor won’t stand for it any longer and is bringing forward bold changes to support delivery.
"She is clear that Parliament must take back control, to get Britain building the power plants, wind farms and grid connections that will bring bills down, strengthen our energy security, and deliver growth in every part of our country."
Deputy British ambassador to US mysteriously sacked
James Roscoe, the Deputy British ambassador to the US, has been mysteriously sacked.
Embassy staff were informed of his dismissal in a one-line email with no other explanation, it was revealed last night.
It's believed the exact reason for his departure will be explained on Wednesday to a gathering of diplomats.
A Foreign Office spokesman, meanwhile, simply said: "James Roscoe has left his post."
Keir Starmer to face first Commons grilling since Wes Streeting resignation
Sir Keir Starmer will face his first Commons grilling
|PA
Sir Keir Starmer will face his first Commons grilling since the resignation of his health secretary and the by-election candidacy of potential leadership challenger Andy Burnham placed further pressure on his premiership.
The Prime Minister will take questions from Kemi Badenoch and other MPs, while ex-cabinet minister Wes Streeting was also expected to make a resignation speech in the chamber on Wednesday.
His noon showdown with the Opposition leader is the first since Parliament returned after the May elections that saw Labour suffer heavy losses and prompted mounting calls for Sir Keir to resign.
It comes after Mr Burnham was confirmed as the party’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which was triggered by former minister Josh Simons quitting to open up a path for the Greater Manchester Mayor to return to Westminster.
It is understood that the mayor was the only person shortlisted for selection by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, bypassing a vote by the local party.
The decision sets up a contest between Mr Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, a local plumber who contested the seat for the party in 2024.
If he returns to Parliament, Mr Burnham is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership, but the Prime Minister has insisted he will not "walk away" from Downing Street.
Rachel Reeves warned over 'weak' economy by Mel Stride
Sir Mel Stride has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves over rising prices and a weak economy despite a fall in inflation.
The Shadow Chancellor said: "Any fall in inflation is welcome, but prices are still rising far too fast and Labour has left our economy weak and exposed to the impacts of the Iran war.
"The recent spike in borrowing costs shows markets are increasingly worried about Labour’s leadership chaos and economic mismanagement."
In response to fresh inflation data from the ONS, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “The war in Iran is not our war but one we will need to respond to, and the decisions I took in the Budget last year have kept inflation down as we deal with global instability.
"We have the right economic plan, and to change course now would risk our economic stability and leave working people worse off.
"We have already taken £117 off energy bills, frozen rail fares, and lifted the two-child limit, and over today and tomorrow I’ll set out the next phase of how we will support UK households."
Inflation falls to 2.8% in 'much welcome relief' for Britons but economy faces 'long-term pressures'
Inflation fell to 2.8 per cent for the 12 months to April 2026, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
A drop in last month's consumer price index (CPI) rate was predicted by economists as a drop in household energy bills was expected to offset the spike in fuel prices resulting from the US-Iran war.
However, most economists had expected inflation to sit around three per cent over the period with this better-than-expected drop being considered "much welcome relief for Rachel Reeves".
The Chancellor has made correcting the course of the economy and improving gross domestic product (GDP) growth central to her fiscal agenda since taking the reins of the Treasury.
John Swinney will be sworn in again as First Minister today
John Swinney will be sworn in again as First Minister today before he appoints his top team.
The SNP leader was elected as First Minister for the second time yesterday after his party won 58 seats at this month’s election.
He told MSPs he was "determined to get on with the job” in Holyrood as he shook the hands of fellow party leaders following a series of votes, despite no other candidate looking likely to win the backing of a majority of MSPs.
Mr Swinney told Holyrood: "The people have again returned a pro-independence majority to this Parliament, the largest ever elected.
"They have said with a resounding voice that decisions about Scotland’s future should be taken here in Scotland, and I will ensure that the people have the right to decide on their own future.”
Keir Starmer handed blueprints for how to enforce digital ID without sparking public fury
The announcement of digital ID resulted in protests and outrage over fears of 'Government over-reach,' the Home Affairs Committee said
|GETTY
Sir Keir Starmer has been handed the blueprints for how to roll out digital ID without risking the public's wrath.
A Home Affairs Committee report has determined a lack of consultation and poor communication had "raised fears of Government over-reach" when the PM tried to introduce the controversial scheme last year.
Chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley said the rollout of digital ID was "nothing short of a fiasco", which "came out of the blue and made little sense".
She added: "It raised fears of Government over-reach into people's lives and was so poorly thought out that they had few answers to ease these concerns.
"It is worth bearing in mind that this was a policy direction that was generally well received by the public before they were spooked by the Government’s poorly thought out and badly explained plans."