Burnham Cabinet Reshuffle: Lucy Powell Appointed Education Secretary and Pat McFadden Retained As Work and Pensions Secretary

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham was appointed Prime Minister earlier on Monday (20th July 2026). Where he talked about developing a new political and economic model for Britain, a circuit breaker. His first task was a pledge to remove all rough sleeping. He also said in his first speech outside number 10 to “help more young people into work by changing the education system.”

So he has got straight at it. The Cabinet Reshuffle has begun. Lucy Powell has been appointed Education Secretary and Pat McFadden has been retained as Work and Pensions Secretary.

Pat McFadden Retained as the Work and Pensions Secretary

Pat McFadden, has been reappointed / retained as the Work and Pensions Secretary in Andy Burnham’s cabinet. On his Twitter account, McFadden said: “I’m honoured to have been reappointed as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. As the Prime Minister said, our mission as a government must be to support people into work and spread opportunity. That’s how we’ll reform the welfare system in a way that is fair and sustainable.”

Lucy Powell is appointed Education Secretary

Lucy Powell is appointed Education Secretary in Andy Burnham’s new cabinet. Lucy Powell takes over the role from Bridget Phillipson (who remains Minister for Women and Equalities). Lucy Powell has held the position of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party since 2025. Between July 2024 and September 2025, she held the roles of Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council. She has represented Manchester Central as its Member of Parliament (MP) since 2012… so she has worked with Andy Burnham in Manchester.

Lucy Powell was born in Moss Side, Manchester. She attended Parrs Wood High School in Didsbury, before studying A-levels at Xaverian College. She went on to study at the University of Oxford, studying chemistry at Somerville College. She was the only pupil in her Sixth Form to receive an offer from the University of Oxford. However, she left Oxford after one year and transferred into the second year of a chemistry degree at King’s College London.

On 13 September 2015, Lucy Powell was appointed Shadow Education Secretary by Jeremy Corbyn, succeeding Tristram Hunt. In this role, she argued for bringing free schools and academies under Local Education Authority control.

In February 2026, Powell criticised the student loan repayment system, focusing in particular on the high interest rates applied to Plan 2 loans, which she branded “unfair” and “egregious”. She argued that the way repayments were structured left many graduates facing what she called an “endless” burden, while acknowledging that substantial reform would carry significant fiscal implications for the government. Her comments followed Rachel Reeves’s defence of the existing system as “fair”, made in response to protests organised by the National Union of Students.

Could Powell be part of the new, yet to be unpacked, Number 10 North team in Manchester? Or will her role sit between Manchester and London? We’re yet to see. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken of a “circuit breaker” moment and a new political and economic model… with Powell’s long-term Manchester roots, could she be part of that new Number 10 North team?

AI and Business roles

We have included two more roles in the Cabinet Reshuffle article that we think directly affect the Further Education, Skills and Employability sector. Kanishka Narayan has been appointed Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Jonathan Reynolds has become Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Jonathan Reynolds is appointed Business and Trade Secretary

Jonathan Reynolds is back in charge of business, this time with a bigger brief covering science and trade too. He previously ran the department until September last year, but it’s now been merged with the separate science and innovation portfolio.

Reynolds was the Chief Whip from 2025-26 (so he will know pretty much every Minister and MP)!… he grew up in Sunderland (attending Sunderland City College), the son of a fireman, and remains a fan of the local football club despite moving away to Manchester for university. It was in Manchester that he got involved with the Labour Party, and he stayed on in the city after finishing his degree. Describing himself as a Christian socialist, he’s represented Stalybridge and Hyde in Greater Manchester since 2010, having previously worked as an aide to James Purnell, the seat’s former MP.

Again, he is a Manchester based MP, again, could he be a part of the new Number 10 North? Interestingly, both the Education Secretary and Business and Trade Secretary are based in Manchester.

Burnham talked of a new 10 year plan for Britain, there have been more calls for education and business needs to be aligned, could Reynolds and Powell be working closely together on a new political and economic model?

Kanishka Narayan Minister for Artificial Intelligence

Kanishka Narayan has been named minister for artificial intelligence, a joint role spanning the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and he’ll have a seat at the cabinet table.

Born in India and brought up in Cardiff, Narayan worked across government and business before winning his Commons seat in 2024, and had been serving as online safety minister prior to this move. Kanishka also has an MBA from Stanford University in the USA. He won the Vale of Glamorgan seat in the July 2024 general election, becoming Wales’ first ethnic minority MP. In September 2025, he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Online Safety, which was a junior ministerial role in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

This is where it gets interesting for skills and employability. AI is already reshaping the jobs of the future, productivity, and what education needs to deliver right now. Narayan’s online safety background is worth noting too… new Education Secretary Lucy Powell has her own history in social media and online safety campaigns for young people.

So could we be looking at a joined-up AI approach forming across government? Narayan working with Pat McFadden on employability, with Jonathan Reynolds on AI skills for business and future employability needs, and with Lucy Powell on an AI led education system… We’ve seen versions of this joined up thinking in other countries. Could this be the shape of the “circuit breaker” Burnham referenced in his opening speech?

Two things worth verifying before this goes out: Narayan being Wales’ first ethnic minority MP is a specific, checkable claim, and I’d confirm Pat McFadden’s exact brief and the precise wording of Burnham’s “circuit breaker” line so the quote holds up if anyone checks it against the speech.

Sector Reaction to the Cabinet Reshuffle

Commenting on the appointment of Lucy Powell as Education Secretary, Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“We’re sorry to see Bridget Phillipson leave the role of Education Secretary. She has sought to work constructively with the education sector and has championed policies designed to support children who face the greatest challenges. Those priorities reflect the values of school and college leaders who are striving every day to create a fairer society where opportunities are available to all and are not limited by background. In particular, she deserves credit for her work on tackling the appallingly high level of child poverty in the UK, and for bringing forward plans to improve support for children with special educational needs. While there are many challenges in delivering those plans, she has started a process which is long overdue in making the system work better for everyone involved.

“Unfortunately, her ambitions have been undermined by public spending decisions which have left schools and colleges desperately short of the funding they need, and this has been compounded by the implementation of a flawed inspection system which is putting disproportionate pressure on education staff. As a result, workforce morale is at rock bottom.

“We welcome Lucy Powell to the role of Education Secretary. She will face a major challenge in better matching the many expectations on schools and colleges with the resources necessary to deliver those expectations, as well as addressing the impact of an accountability system which is driving people out of the profession and damaging mental health and wellbeing. It also seems likely that she will have the task of implementing a new direction in education policy.

“Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that a ‘complete rethink’ of education is needed which builds parity between academic and technical routes and provides every young person with great opportunities. This is particularly important as we currently have one million young people who are not in education, employment, or training. However, a great deal of policy detail is needed about how to turn those aspirations into reality. School and college leaders are absolutely ready and willing to be part of that process and we look forward to working with the new administration to shape a fairer future.”

Commenting as Lucy Powell is announced by Andy Burnham as the new Education Secretary, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We congratulate Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister and congratulate Lucy Powell on her appointment as Education Secretary.

“It is clear that during Bridget Phillipson’s time at the helm of the Department for Education, considerable progress has been made.

“The education White Paper set a vision for education that we have not seen for well over a decade, and there has been some new funding for schools, improvements to pay, action on poverty, and a commitment to finally grasping the nettle and reforming the broken SEND system.

“Bridget has shown passion and commitment to schools, and while we thank her for her endeavours, we need the new government to commit to going further in ensuring schools are empowered and supported to deliver for pupils.

“Too many schools feel ill-equipped to go about their core business, let alone deliver changes to SEND support and the curriculum. They are still struggling to set budgets and recruit and retain teachers, large parts of the school estate remain in a poor condition, and a circuit-breaker to fundamentally reset Ofsted inspections, which continue to pose real dangers to the health and wellbeing of school leaders and their staff, is urgently needed.

“Addressing these things will need the buy-in of not just the education secretary but also the new PM and Chancellor. Amid so many competing demands, it’s absolutely vital that education is a top priority across government and receives the sustained investment it deserves, because little can be more important than children’s learning, wellbeing and life chances.”

Chief Executive of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust Kate Ambrosi commented:

“Congratulations to Lucy Powell MP on being appointed the new Education Secretary. We also welcome back Pat McFadden MP as Work and Pensions Secretary.

“Their departments will be absolutely pivotal for delivering on the priorities of the Burnham government. Not just getting more young people into work and improving their mental health, but ending rough sleeping and building a new generation of council homes.

“All of these priorities will require a skilled workforce so we need more and better technical education in school to prepare young people for work so they can thrive in life.

“Too many young people are reaching age 18 without knowing what pathways are open to them and without the technical skills and workplace attitudes to follow them. This prevents them from progressing onto apprenticeships and technical university places. We also need more of those so young people can gain the advanced knowledge and skills for which industries such as manufacturing are crying out.

“Andy Burnham has been a strong supporter of the University Technical Collegesecondary schools that we support, and which send around a fifth of leavers into apprenticeships each year – with just five per cent of leavers becoming NEET. He has also worked with us on developing an award for his Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) and supported opening UTC Sleeves in Greater Manchester. UTC Sleeves, created by Baker Dearing, involve developing a high-quality, employer-led technical education pathway within a mainstream school. Both the UTC Sleeve and MBacc Award are aimed at creating for young people a clear and consistent line of sight from classroom to career. 

“We will be pushing Lucy Powell and Pat McFadden to continue in Whitehall the support Andy Burnham showed as mayor for the UTC programme and technical education opportunities.”