Listen to this story Members can listen to an AI-generated audio version of this article. 1.0x Audio narration uses an AI-generated voice. 0:00 0:00 Become a member to listen to this article Subscribe Pat McFadden has kept his job as work and pensions secretary in new prime minister Andy Burnham’s government. McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, has held the role since September 2025, when he took charge of apprenticeships, adult skills and Skills England in the machinery-of-government change that shifted the brief out of the Department for Education. Writing on X, he 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 & sustainable.” During his tenure, he oversaw the repurposing of the apprenticeship levy into the growth and skills levy, expanded foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail and defunded 16 apprenticeship standards, including popular leadership and management courses, in a bid to free up cash in the apprenticeships budget for young people. He commissioned Alan Milburn’s review into youth unemployment and expanded the youth guarantee into a £2.5 billion package of programmes and incentives aimed at tackling high levels of youth unemployment. He will now see through the outstanding final report of the Milburn review, due in the autumn, along with apprenticeship co-investment and levy changes taking effect from August. It is not yet clear whether education secretary Bridget Phillipson will keep her job. Burnham became prime minister earlier today and is appointing members of his cabinet. In the run-up to his coronation as Labour leader and prime minister, Burnham said he wanted to use public procurement to increase apprenticeships and end the “university-first” approach to education. Earlier this evening, former defence secretary John Healey was appointed chancellor of the exchequer. Healey served as adult skills minister between 2001 and 2002, his first government post, before moving to the Treasury as economic secretary and then financial secretary under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Appointments for ministers of state and junior ministers are expected in the coming days.