Andy Burnham says he will end culture of briefing against female ministers

Andy Burnham has said he will end the culture of briefing against female ministers, promising Labour MPs he will sack any staff who undermine women in his team. Speaking at the meeting of the women’s parliamentary Labour party in Westminster, Burnham also strongly criticised descriptions of him as “the first female Labour PM” in the Spectator. Senior women under Keir Starmer have complained of a “boys club” culture, despite Starmer hiring multiple women to his team and making Rachel Reeves the first female chancellor. But MPs felt female ministers had a disproportionate number of negative stories leaked about them, including the former transport secretary turned Burnham adviser, Louise Haigh, as well as the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson. Burnham told MPs at the meeting: “Culture really does matter and we need to change that culture. “I want to make it clear that if anyone in my team was found to have done that [negative briefing] they would be out of the door. Their feet wouldn’t touch the floor. …