Falconer had trusted Midgley – a close confidant of Burnham – to keep him in the loop about cabinet moves. But the tight secrecy of Burnham’s first appointment meant that he was caught off guard by his promotion, while on his honeymoon in Greece. He will attend cabinet as minister for European relations, taking the reins of negotiations with the EU for the next joint summit. Falconer is the second generation of his family to attend cabinet – his father, Charlie Falconer, was Tony Blair’s justice secretary. “It’s not a hard or complicated test,” Falconer said.