𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Major Labour donor Dale Vince has warned Andy Burnham that making Ed Miliband his chancellor would be a “lightning rod” for problems.

The green energy tycoon backed Shabana Mahmood for taking the top Treasury role between the two leading contenders.

The boss of Ecotricity, who donated £5million to Labour or its politicians in the run-up to the 2024 General Election, said: “When it comes to the chancellor, if the choice really is Mahmood or Miliband, then I think it’s an easy decision. Mahmood.

“Ed Miliband comes with too much baggage, really bad spending decisions while at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), [he] undermined net zero and undermined his credibility to run the whole economy, as did his failure to get energy bills down.

“Andy needs a clean start, and Ed would be a lightning rod for old issues.”

Mr Vince has criticised Mr Miliband’s decision to commit tens of billions of pounds to heat pumps and carbon capture technology, the latter of which remains largely unproven on a global scale.

The green entrepreneur, who attended Mr Burnham’s coronation as Labour leader on Friday, has also been critical of Mr Miliband’s failure to lower energy bills and not “breaking the link” between gas and electricity prices.

Mr Vince said: “Andy’s speech was exciting, electric at times. He gave a real sense of bold policy moves to come and clear sightedness over the need to take back control of our vital infrastructure. He was humorous, humble and passionate – I’m looking fwd to what comes next. On the top jobs he made clear he’s not yet made up his mind.

“I expect we’ll hear on Monday.”

Mr Burnham confirmed on Friday that he would announce his Cabinet on Monday, insisting that revealing ministerial appointments before he enters No 10 would cause “complete chaos”.