Lucy Powell backs Ed Miliband to become chancellor

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Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell, who hails from the ‘soft left’ of the Labour party, has backed Ed Miliband to succeed Rachel Reeves as chancellor. Whether or not the energy secretary will enter No 11 Downing Street has become a major plot line of Andy Burnham’s looming dethronement of the prime minister. He worked with Burnham on his Makerfield campaign and advised him on economic policy. He also has experience in the Treasury and is seen as one of the few candidates with a plan radical enough to overhaul the UK's sluggish economy. But the appointment would carry political risks. Miliband has come under fire for his commitment to net zero and has been cast as insufficiently pro-business. By installing such a prominent figure in the Treasury, Burnham could also plant an alternative power base within his government.