'Shuffling the deckchairs!' Lee Anderson tears into Andy Burnham amid plans to replace Rachel Reeves with 'Shabana Mahmood'

Lee Anderson has launched a scathing attack on Andy Burnham amid plans to completely reshuffle the Cabinet.

Speaking to GB News, the Reform UK Chief Whip hit out at the Makerfield MP's plans to replace Rachel Reeves as Chancellor if he becomes Prime Minister.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is said to be the front runner to become the next Chancellor under Mr Burnham's Government.

Sources close to the Prime Minister in waiting have also confirmed that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband remains "far from certain" to secure the Treasury role.

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Reacting to the possible move by Mr Burnham, Mr Anderson told GB News: "This is just another case of shuffling the deck chairs, as they say.

"It's a pretty poor talent pool the Labour front bench have got, and she's probably the best of a very, very bad bunch."

Taking aim at Ed Miliband, he added: "But thank goodness it's not Ed Miliband there. He strikes fear into the heart of every single business in Ashfield, the place where I represent.

"Every time I go to a business, they say his net zero policies are killing their businesses and their trade and making it really, really difficult for them to survive. But yeah, there's no talent in the Labour front bench."

The Reform MP asked: "Not one of them has run a business. If you can't run a business, how can you run a country?"

Offering some defence for Ms Mahmood, commentator Matthew Stadlen argued that she would be an "effective" Chancellor.

He told GB News: "I think she's an effective communicator. Lee's not looking at me as I say this, and Lee might not think she's that great news.

"But I think plenty of people on your side of the debate have at least some sort of respect for her."

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Mr Stadlen added: "So the hope is that she succeeds as Chancellor. We need her to succeed as a country and the Labour Party need her to succeed as well.

"I understand Lee wants to go far further on immigration reform than Shabana Mahmood, but she's been pretty robust."

Ms Reeves is understood to be in line for a different Cabinet post, with Culture Secretary and Health Secretary both under consideration as potential destinations.

Mr Burnham will be sworn in as the Prime Minister on Monday following the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer.

Civil servants will warn Mr Burnham to expect rising gilt yields and at least one Bank of England rate increase before the end of the year, squeezing his ability to fund ambitious policy commitments.

He will receive updated economic forecasts from the Treasury on his first day in office that will paint a challenging picture.

The former Mayor of Manchester will be told by senior civil servants that he faces a worsening economy, rising borrowing costs and interest rate hikes in his first six months of his premiership.

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