Andy Burnham

This article is about the politician. For the Roman Catholic priest, see Andrew Burnham (priest).

The Right Honourable Andy Burnham MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 October 2011
Leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	John Healey
In office 11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010
Leader	Harriet Harman Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Andrew Lansley
Succeeded by	John Healey
Shadow Secretary of State for Education
In office 8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011
Leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Ed Balls
Succeeded by	Stephen Twigg
Secretary of State for Health
In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Alan Johnson
Succeeded by	Andrew Lansley
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 24 January 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	James Purnell
Succeeded by	Ben Bradshaw
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Stephen Timms
Succeeded by	Yvette Cooper
Member of Parliament for Leigh
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2001
Preceded by	Lawrence Cunliffe
Majority	15,011 (31.1%)
Personal details
Born	Aintree, Lancashire, England 7 January 1970 (1970-01-07)
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Marie-France van Heel
Alma mater	Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Leigh since 2001. He served in the Cabinet under Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Culture Secretary and Health Secretary. He was a candidate in the 2010 Labour leadership election, coming fourth out of five candidates. Burnham was initially appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education within Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet, but was moved back to the Shadow Department for Health in a reshuffle.

Early life

Burnham was born Old Roan, Aintree, Lancashire (now Merseyside), the son of a telephone engineer father and a receptionist mother, and brought up in Culcheth, near Warrington where his family moved to when his father was promoted to a job in Manchester. He was educated at St. Lewis' Primary School and St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School (now St Aelred's Catholic Technology College) in Newton-le-Willows, Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, before moving on to study English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

Joining the Labour Party

He joined the Labour Party aged 14 in 1984, during the miners' strike, and was a researcher to Tessa Jowell from 1994 until the 1997 election. He joined the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1995. After the 1997 election, he was briefly a Parliamentary Officer for the NHS Confederation from August to December 1997, before taking up the post as an administrator with the Football Task Force for a year.

In 1998, he became a Special Adviser to the then-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, a position he remained in until his election to Parliament in 2001.

Member of Parliament

After the retirement of Lawrence Cunliffe, Burnham applied to be the Parliamentary Candidate for the safe Labour seat of Leigh. Despite long serving elected Councillors from Leigh also applying and in spite of having had held no elected office and having no local connections to Leigh, Burnham managed to secure selection to contest the safe seat at the next General Election. At the 2001 election, he was elected with a majority of 16,362, and gave his maiden speech on 4 July 2001.

In Government

Following his election to Parliament, he became a member of the Health Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, when he was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Secretary David Blunkett. Following Blunkett's first resignation in 2004, he went on to become the PPS to Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. He was promoted to serve in the Government after the 2005 election as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, with responsibility for implementing the Identity Cards Act 2006.

In the government reshuffle of 5 May 2006, Burnham was promoted from the Home Office to a Minister of State at the Department of Health.

In Cabinet

In Gordon Brown's first Cabinet, announced 28 June 2007, Burnham was appointed as the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008.

Burnham was alleged to have caused embarrassment to the Government in August 2007 by attacking the Conservative Party's Economic Competitiveness report, before admitting in an interview that he had not read the report.

The Daily Telegraph published an interview with Burnham on 13 October 2007 in which he stated that: "I think it’s better when children are in a home where their parents are married" and "it’s not wrong that the tax system should recognise commitment and marriage", which created some controversy because following through this argument would replicate the current policies of the Conservative Party.

In a re-shuffle in January 2008, he was appointed as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, replacing James Purnell.

In June 2008, he was forced to apologise to the director of pressure group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, after she threatened to sue him for libel for smearing her reputation.

In late 2008, he announced Government plans to crack down on the Internet, tightening up controls in order to "even up" what he claimed was an imbalance with TV regulations. This was followed by a speech to the UK music industry's lobbying group, UK Music, in which he announced a "a time that calls for partnership between Government and the music business as a whole: one with rewards for both of us; one with rewards for society as a whole. (...) My job – Government’s job – is to preserve the value in the system."

Expenses claims

The Daily Telegraph's revelation of expenses claims by Members of Parliament showed that Burnham requested the Commons Fees Office for the £16,644 cost of renovations and work on a London flat he was buying. The claims, which included a new kitchen were at first rejected. Burnham had written three notes asking for the money to be paid, including one at Christmas 2005 complaining "Otherwise I might be in line for divorce!" Ultimately the Fees Office accepted the claim and reimbursed Burnham. The Fees Office refused to pay a June 2006 claim for mortgage interest which covered both the Lambeth flat and Burnham's constituency home, and also a mortgage claim which included capital repayment. The rules allowed reimbursement of mortgage interest only and on one home at a time. Burnham also attempted to claim £19.99 for a bathrobe from IKEA, which was rejected by officials; Burnham said it was a "genuine oversight".

Political commentary

250,000 women, some of them cancer patients, were sent a leaflet featuring a message from a breast cancer survivor who praised Labour's health policy. The cards asked: "Are the Tories a change you can afford?". Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats called this tasteless, and the Tories claimed that they were actually calling for more funding for the NHS. Andy Burnham, the health secretary, said: "It is categorically incorrect to imply that we targeted cancer sufferers, and we regret if any offence or anxiety was given to people who have suffered cancer. But we make no apology for highlighting the difference between Labour and the Conservatives on cancer care."

2010 Labour Party leadership election

Following the resignation of Gordon Brown as Leader of the Labour Party after the 2010 general election, Andy Burnham declared his intention to stand in the subsequent Labour leadership contest. He launched his leadership campaign in his Leigh constituency on 26 May. Burnham led on his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", aligning himself with Intern Aware's campaign to end unpaid internships. He also made key policy commitments to the creation of a National Care Service and also called for inheritance tax to be replaced with a land value tax instead. The leadership contest was eventually won by Ed Miliband. Burnham finished fourth.

Until after the Shadow Cabinet election, Burnham continued in his role as Shadow Health Secretary, and at the end of September 2010 he openly criticised new Prime Minister David Cameron for the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition Government's public spending cuts which he claims will see a reorganisation costing £3billion and leave elderly people particularly hard hit - changes for which he believes the electorate will not forgive Cameron.

In the new Shadow Cabinet under Ed Miliband, Burnham was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Election Co-ordinator for the Labour Party.

Personal life

Burnham is married to Marie-France van Heel, whom he wed in 2000 after 11 years together. The couple had been dating since university. Van Heel was formerly head of marketing at MTV, BSkyB and Littlewoods Gaming and until recently the Planning Director at Creative Communication Agency WRG in Manchester. She is now a director at MvH Marketing Ltd. The couple have a son and two daughters. Burnham is a Roman Catholic.

Burnham was the Honorary Chairman of Leigh Rugby League Club for a short period of time. Burnham was also a talented junior cricketer (playing for Lancashire CCC Juniors) and keen footballer, and competed at both sports for his college. He has played for Labour's "Demon Eyes" football team and is a life-long fan of Premier League football club Everton.

External links

• Andy Burnham MP Official constituency website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Articles authored at Journalisted

Audio clips

• Interview with GMR after 2005 election BBC Manchester

Video clips

• Delivering 18 week NHS target YouTube

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Lawrence Cunliffe	Member of Parliament for Leigh 2001 – present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Stephen Timms	Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2007 – 2008	Succeeded by Yvette Cooper
Preceded by James Purnell	Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 2008 – 2009	Succeeded by Ben Bradshaw
Preceded by Alan Johnson	Secretary of State for Health 2009 – 2010	Succeeded by Andrew Lansley
Preceded by Andrew Lansley	Shadow Secretary of State for Health 2010	Succeeded by John Healey
Preceded by Ed Balls	Shadow Secretary of State for Education 2010 – 2011	Succeeded by Stephen Twigg
Preceded by John Healey	Shadow Secretary of State for Health 2011 – present	Incumbent