A "modern baccalaureate" placing greater emphasis on IT, leadership and business skills should be at the heart of Britain's school system, shadow education secretary, Andy Burnham is to say.

For Urgent Attention From George Galloway MP - Arrangements for Rally in Kensington on 10 January To the Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 8th January 2008 Dear Andy, I’m writing as one of the officers of the Stop the War Coalition, and one of the leaders of the current protests against the Israeli

In Andy Burnham's first interview since becoming health secretary, the upbeat former culture chief tells Sarah Boseley that he is determined to trumpet the successes of the NHS and boost the fortunes of an ailing government These are, Andy Burnham concedes ruefully, "not ideal circumstances" in which to be given the job of secretary of state for health. However much he may have wanted it - an...

According to Channel Four: Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham [pictured] has called for a change in the party’s leadership election rules to take away power from the unions, as the five contenders prepare for the final hustings at the TUC conference ahead of this month’s vote. Andy Burnham, the former Health Secretary, has called for the

When Labour was in power, many of the most powerful business leaders beat a path to its door. Now the party is learning how many were fair weather friends

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has apologised for leaving restricted documents on a train on Monday. Luckily for Andy they were handed in to the police. However, the real story in this latest fiasco is the announcement made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's spokesman who said they would conduct a review of security procedures. How the hell is yet another review going to prevent...

Culture secretary Andy Burnham has pledged to rescue Channel 4 – favouring a deal with BBC Worldwide over wider options such as a Channel Five merger or "top-slicing" part of the BBC's licence fee. Burnham, speaking today at the Oxford Media Convention, said the role of the BBC must be protected but that a fourth Reithian principle, one of partnership, should be put into its DNA. "Let m...

Apparently Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has raised the issue of X-Factor contestant Laura White being booted off the show in parliament. I have to ask myself during the current economic crisis, whilst we remain at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, with a new President having been elected, with the POCA future up for grabs and a host of other pressing matters is this really the right forum for this de...

The European Commission's high-level groups are "skewed" in favour of business interests and fail to guarantee equitable consultation of all stakeholders, allege Friends of the Earth in a new report to be published tomorrow (12 February). The NGO is calling for a moratorium on the creation of new such groups until more "transparent mechanisms" have been established.

As Andy Burnham jogs off into the middle distance to take up his new job as secretary of state for health, the revolving doors in Westminster have ejected Ben Bradshaw as his replacement - the third secretary of state for culture, media and sport in two years, after James Purnell took up the post in Gordon Brown's first cabinet. Bradshaw, 48, is one of the few Labour politicians who actually ...