Andy Burnham is the Labour MP for Leigh and was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in January 2008.

He had held the position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury since June 2007.

Previously he worked as a minister at the Department of Health, overseeing quality and patient safety.

Before this, he was Parliamentary Private-Secretary at the Home Office and to former Home Secretary David Blunkett.

He has also worked as an administrator for the Football Task Force – set up by the Government in 1997 tasked with looking at racism in football and participation in the wider community.

Andy himself is a keen supporter of Everton Football Club as well as rugby league side Leigh Centurions.

He was elected to Parliament in 2001 and was educated in Merseyside before graduating from Cambridge with an MA in English

He lives in Leigh with Marie-France and their three children.