Miatta Fahnbulleh was not Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first choice to become energy secretary, according to the Financial Times.
The newspaper reports that Burnham initially offered the role to culture secretary Lisa Nandy, who refused to move from her existing post.
Citing people familiar with the reshuffle, the FT said Nandy’s refusal threatened to derail Burnham’s plans, forcing the Prime Minister to back down and appoint Fahnbulleh, a longstanding climate campaigner, instead.
The revelation comes as Burnham travels to the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, having adopted a more pragmatic approach to energy policy that seeks to balance climate commitments with jobs, economic growth and energy security.
Since taking office in July, he has approved the Jackdaw gasfield east of Aberdeen, while his government has scaled back some green spending commitments and is considering changes to electric vehicle targets.
A further major decision looms over the Rosebank oilfield, with around 80 Labour MPs reportedly pressing for approval to protect Scottish jobs and tax revenues.