Andy Burnham Cabinet: 50% Women, North-West Overrepresented 2026

Andy Burnham's cabinet achieves historic gender parity with 50% women for the first time in British political history, while MPs from the north-west are overrepresented compared to the UK population. This analysis dives into the demographic shifts and contrasts with previous administrations.

Gender Parity Achieved: Half the Cabinet Is Female

For the first time, exactly half of Burnham's senior ministers are women. This marks a dramatic change from 1979, when Margaret Thatcher appointed no other women. John Major's cabinet even had periods with zero women. Under Tony Blair, women remained a minority—only five in 1997. The figure oscillated during Conservative rule, nearly reaching parity in 2024 under Keir Starmer at 46%.

However, critics note that Rachel Reeves was replaced by John Healey as chancellor, reducing female representation in the four great offices of state to one.

Regional Representation: The North-West overrepresented

Unsurprisingly, the former Greater Manchester mayor has given outsized cabinet roles to MPs from the north-west, which makes up just over a quarter of the cabinet but only 11% of the UK population. This continues a trend from Starmer's cabinet, which also overrepresented the north-west, in stark contrast to Rishi Sunak's cabinet, which included only two MPs from northern constituencies.

Comparison of Cabinets by Gender and Region

Key Takeaways from Burnham's Cabinet Demographics

• Gender parity achieved for the first time—50% of cabinet are women.
• North-west overrepresented at 26% of cabinet, despite only 11% of UK population living there.
• Historical contrast: only five women in Blair's first cabinet, zero in early Major years.
• Great offices of state still male-dominated; only one woman holds one of the top four roles.
• Burnham's regional bias reflects his power base as former Greater Manchester mayor.

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