Advisers to incoming U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham are in disagreement over who he should appoint as Chancellor of the Exchequer, illustrating early strains on his premiership less than a week before he¡¯s due to enter office.
While many Burnham supporters on the left of the governing Labour Party had expected him to put Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in charge of the Treasury, others in the presumptive leader¡¯s team are strongly arguing against making the appointment. The second faction increasingly believed Miliband, a former leader of the party, wouldn¡¯t get the chancellor¡¯s job, people familiar with the matter said.
Those conversations were still taking place as late as Tuesday, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal debates. That suggested Burnham had been unable to decide who to appoint to the post despite being due to take over from incumbent Keir Starmer on Monday next week.
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