Decision is one of Makerfield MP’s most significant since his Westminster return as he builds his team for government

Purnell made his name as a young minister under the governments of Tony Blair and Brown. He resigned as work and pensions secretary in Brown’s government after the 2009 local elections, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to unseat the prime minister.

He later joined the BBC as director of strategy before becoming chief executive of the lobbying firm Flint Global in 2024.