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A Liberian-born economist who fled civil war as a child has been appointed to one of the UK government’s most important Cabinet roles, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham begins reshaping his administration.
Miatta Fahnbulleh became Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on 20 July 2026, replacing Ed Miliband, who was promoted to Foreign Secretary. The appointment formed part of Burnham’s first Cabinet reshuffle since taking office, which also saw John Healey move from Defence to become Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Fahnbulleh’s journey to the Cabinet has shaped much of her political outlook. Born in Liberia, she arrived in Britain with her family after they fled the country’s civil war. She studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford before earning a PhD in economic development from the London School of Economics, laying the foundation for a career focused on reforming Britain’s economy.
Before entering Parliament, she spent six years leading the New Economics Foundation as chief executive between 2017 and 2023. She also served as Director of Policy and Research at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Earlier, from 2011 to 2013, she headed the Cities team in the Cabinet Office’s policy unit.
Her rise through government has been swift. Elected MP for Peckham in July 2024, Fahnbulleh was immediately appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, serving from July 2024 until September 2025. She then moved to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as a junior minister, remaining there until May 2026. She had previously overseen the ministry’s devolution portfolio before briefly returning to energy policy, according to official government records.
She now takes charge of a department facing mounting pressure over soaring household energy costs and unresolved decisions on North Sea oil and gas projects, including the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields. Burnham has already signalled a consumer-first approach, announcing plans to remove VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1 October.
The appointment has prompted mixed reactions across the energy sector. Renewable energy groups welcomed the move, while parts of the oil and gas industry questioned how strongly Fahnbulleh would support continued North Sea production. Panmure Liberum analyst Ashley Kelty was among those expressing concern, while RenewableUK chief executive Tara Singh said Fahnbulleh’s previous work on energy consumer issues had prepared her well to tackle affordability.
Fahnbulleh has sought to calm concerns that she will take an ideological stance on fossil fuels. Asked about the future of North Sea production, she told Times Radio she believed the issue should be approached with “pragmatism,” dismissing criticism from Reform UK’s Richard Tice, who claimed Labour had found someone “even more extreme than Ed Miliband.”
She has previously argued that Britain should achieve Net Zero by the mid-2030s, setting out the case in a 2019 essay for Foreign Affairs, well ahead of the government’s current 2050 target.
Meanwhile, Miliband described his move to the Foreign Office as a “great honour and privilege.” Michael Shanks remains Energy Minister under Fahnbulleh, continuing in the role he has held since September 2025.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah