Could a qualified doctor be appointed as Health Secretary for the first time in 100 years in Andy Burnham’s future Cabinet?

Dr Zubir Ahmed, a transplant surgeon who is the MP for Glasgow South West, has been in talks with Burnham’s team about the possibility of taking up the role.

He served as Health Innovation and Safety Minister under Sir Keir Starmer and regularly deputised for the last Health Secretary, Wes Streeting. Ahmed resigned as a minister in May ahead of Streeting’s own resignation from Cabinet in anticipation of a leadership challenge.

It turns out that Streeting was all bluster – last week, he stepped out of the race and endorsed Burnham. Ahmed has now handed to Burnham’s team several endorsements from senior NHS figures for him to become the first doctor to serve in the post since Dr Christopher Addison was Minister of Health from 1919 to 1921.

You have to ask: why has it taken so long?

Rachel Reeves insists inflation is under control. But those working in Parliament aren’t convinced. Last week, staff canteens hiked the price of coffee by 25 per cent and biscuits by 50 per cent. Reeves may get a nasty shock when she gets the boot as Chancellor and has to start paying for her own Hobnobs.

Could Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Downing Street career include modelling? Comic Matt Forde certainly thinks there are similarities with underwear model Sir David Beckham.

‘Both have funny voices and are married to Victoria,’ he observed. Starmer’s Calvin Klein campaign can’t be too far away.

Faces froze when author Lionel Shriver called Ed Miliband an eco ‘nut’ on Trevor Phillips’s Sunday Morning show. Chided by Phillips, she settled on ‘zealot’ as an alternative. 

If Burnham hands Miliband the keys to the Treasury, he may want to prepare for rather less printable descriptions.

West Bromwich Labour MP Sarah Coombes has hit the big time. ‘Delighted my campaign to crack down on ghost number plates has made the front cover of Parking Review,’ she crows. Parp, parp.

Best-selling novelist Kathy Lette, is revelling in Sir Keir Starmer’s downfall.

Her daughter, Georgie Robertson – a former press officer to Jeremy Corbyn – was one of five Labour staffers sued by the party after being accused of leaking an internal report into anti-Semitism and conspiring against Starmer. Labour abandoned the case two years ago, costing the party £1.5million in legal fees.

Following his resignation speech, Lette observed acidly: ‘If Starmer bored any more he’d strike oil.’

Kemi Badenoch delivered a parting dig at Starmer at the Tory summer fundraiser at Raffles London. She suggested some of the evening’s proceeds go to Keir’s retirement fund: ‘He isn’t the sort of ex-PM likely to be in demand on the global speaker circuit.’ Ouch!