Ed Miliband has been moved from his job as Energy Secretary to become Foreign Secretary in Andy Burnham's new cabinet. The reshuffle follows months of behind-the-scenes attacks on Miliband from within his own party — attacks driven, some analysts believe, by the very success that made him both the most praised and most criticised figure in Labour's government.

"Net zero" refers to the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions down to as close to zero as possible. Any emissions that remain would be balanced out by things like planting trees or using technology to capture carbon. Miliband made this goal the centre of his work as energy minister.

The Guardian reported on 21 July 2026 that Labour party figures had been briefing against Miliband, with analysts questioning whether his success and public popularity on net zero prompted the attacks. Ed Matthew, UK director at the E3G thinktank, called Miliband "the most successful minister under the Starmer administration," pointing to record levels of renewable energy contracts and reforms that sped up clean energy projects during his time at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero from 2024 to 2026 (The Guardian).

Miliband's policy record is extensive. He pushed through the party's promise to ban new oil and gas licences and set a target to clean up the UK's electricity supply by 2030. He previously called the Rosebank oilfield "climate vandalism." In April 2026, he gave a speech called "The era of clean energy security" at the Good Growth Foundation's National Growth Debate, and Carbon Brief reported that same month that he planned to strengthen net-zero policies to deal with an energy shock caused by Iran. On 15 March 2026, his department said the government would go "further and faster" in becoming energy secure (The Guardian; Gov.uk; Carbon Brief).

That record made him a target for hostile newspapers. Rightwing media outlets ran frequent editorials calling him a "net-zero zealot." Carbon Brief reported that attacks on Miliband in UK newspaper editorials had already exceeded 2024 levels by mid-2026 — a striking volume of sustained hostility toward a single government minister (The Guardian; Carbon Brief).

The pressure grew as the political landscape shifted. Andy Burnham took over from Keir Starmer as Prime Minister before July 2026, and media reports suggested Burnham was preparing to announce new North Sea drilling shortly after taking office. The fossil fuel industry, the Conservatives, Reform UK, and parts of the Labour party itself all lobbied Burnham to approve the Jackdaw gasfield and Rosebank oilfield. This put them directly at odds with Miliband's record. The manifesto ban on new oil and gas licences had a loophole: projects already in the planning system could still go ahead. Approving Jackdaw or Rosebank would not technically break the ban, but it would go against the spirit of what Miliband had championed (The Guardian).

The environmental backdrop made the contradiction sharper. Three intense heatwaves hit the UK in the summer of 2026, with firefighters battling wildfires across the country — a vivid reminder of the climate consequences Miliband's policies were designed to tackle (The Guardian).

At the same time, a separate internal fight had broken out over who should serve as chancellor, the government's top financial minister. On 22 June 2026, The Guardian reported that supporters of Wes Streeting and allies of Miliband were fighting over the role under Burnham. Miliband appeared on Sky News with Sophy Ridge and said the Prime Minister would sack whoever had been briefing against Streeting. On 20 July 2026, The Guardian reported that John Healey was ultimately appointed chancellor after intense lobbying from allies of Miliband, Shabana Mahmood, and Rachel Reeves. Reuters had reported on 16 July that the British pound rose and investors expressed relief that Miliband was not chosen as chancellor. Reuters identified the likely pick as Shabana Mahmood, which the later Guardian reporting updated to Healey (The Guardian; Sky News; The Guardian; Reuters).

Burnham himself promised to end the briefing wars, The Guardian reported on 19 July 2026, acknowledging that Miliband had been the target of vicious attacks by those who feared his influence. Miliband had helped Burnham win the Labour leadership, giving him considerable standing in the new administration. His public profile was further boosted by a podcast he co-hosted with radio presenter Geoff Lloyd (The Guardian; The Guardian).

The broader context here is one of contrasting fortunes within Starmer's government. The Treasury struggled with weak economic growth and political missteps, including a controversy over winter fuel payments to pensioners. The NHS was disrupted by doctors' strikes. Against that backdrop, Miliband's energy and net-zero agenda stood out as a rare area where the government was actually delivering on its promises — which is precisely what made him a lightning rod (The Guardian).

Miliband was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 20 July 2026, according to the UK government's official ministerial page. His move from Energy to the Foreign Office takes him away from direct control of the net-zero agenda he built — at the very moment when Burnham's government appears ready to approve new North Sea drilling that Miliband spent his time as energy minister opposing (Gov.uk).

The trajectory bears watching. Miliband's transfer to the Foreign Office could be read as a promotion or as a sidelining, depending on whether Burnham's government plans to keep the 2030 clean power target. Miliband has a long history with the energy brief — he served in the same role under Gordon Brown and was photographed at the Little Cheyne Court windfarm in Kent in 2009 — which gives the move particular weight. The question now is whether his successor will defend the policy framework Miliband built, or whether the loophole in the manifesto's oil and gas ban becomes the opening through which it is taken apart.