Burnham, Andrew Murray (1970– )

UK centre-left politician, secretary of state for culture, media and sport from 2008. He became chief secretary to the Treasury in 2007, in the first cabinet of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, one of the new generation of young Labour politicians who were brought into the cabinet, He was moved in the January 2008 re-shuffle to culture, media and sport, an area in which he had previous experience as an advisor to the secretary of state 1998–2001 and as an administrator with the Football Task Force in 1998.

Born in Liverpool, the son of a telephone engineer, he joined the Labour Party at the age of 14, during the 1984 miners' strike. He studied English at Cambridge University and was a researcher for Tessa Jowell 1994–97 and special advisor to Chris Smith, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, 1998–2001. He was elected to parliament at the 2001 general election, representing the constituency of Leith, and served as parliamentary private secretary to home secretary David Blunkett 2003–04 and education secretary Ruth Kelly 2004–05. After junior posts in the home office and department of health, in June 2007 the new prime minister, Gordon Brown, appointed him chief secretary to the Treasury.