Andy Burnham has been named as the new minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. He replaces fellow rising star – and former flatmate – James Purnell who has been promoted to Work and Pensions Secretary. It follows the resignation of Peter Hain who is the subject of a police investigation into the funding of his failed campaign for the deputy leadership of the governing Labour party.
Cambridge-educated Burnham was elected to Parliament in 2001, joined the cabinet in June 2007 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and was an advisor to Chris (now Lord) Smith, the culture secretary in the early days of the Blair administration.
