Keir Starmer will not block Andy Burnham’s Westminster comeback as grip on energy weakens
Keir Starmer’s grip on power appears more perilous after Andy Burnham unveiled a dramatic route back to Parliament and Wes Streeting quit the government
Keir Starmer’s grip on power weakened after a dramatic day in Westminster(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Keir Starmer’s grip on power appears more perilous after Andy Burnham unveiled a dramatic route back to Parliament and Wes Streeting quit the government.
The Greater Manchester Mayor confirmed he would seek a return after the Labour MP for Makerfield, Josh Simons, resigned his seat and triggered a by-election. Mr Burnham said: “I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics.” He added he wanted to return to Westminster to “bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people”.
Dubbed the King of the North, Mr Burnham must now win approval of Labour’s governing body to allow him to defend the party’s majority of just over 5,000 votes and take the fight to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
In February, Mr Starmer and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) blocked the Greater Manchester Mayor’s return to Parliament by 8-1. But with the Prime Minister’s authority now in tatters after a brutal week of civil war at the top of Labour’s ranks, it is understood he will not seek to lock Mr Burnham a second time.
An ally of the Prime Minister said: “Keir is focused on bringing the party together so it can tackle the issues facing working families.”
One Labour MP told The Mirror: “Andy Burnham is our best chance of stopping Reform. Most people now recognise that and that’s why Streeting doesn’t have the numbers.”
But Cabinet minister Steve Reed hit back, saying: “I’m sorry Josh has taken this decision. If anyone thinks there is a caped superhero that is coming our way with all the answers they have another thing coming.”
Mr Burnham’s dramatic announcement came as Mr Streeting also quit as Health Secretary and called on Mr Starmer to resign. But he stopped short of triggering a leadership contest as had been expected. In a scathing resignation letter, the Labour heavyweight said it was clear the Prime Minister will not lead the party into the next general election. “Where we need vision, we have a vacuum,” he said. “Where we need direction, we have drift”
He said a contest to replace the PM should “be broad” with the “best possible field of candidates”, adding: “I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.” His failure to fire the starting gun on a leadership challenge raised speculation the former Cabinet minister had failed to secure the required 81 MPs’ nominations – 20% of the Parliamentary Labour Party – required to do so.
READ MORE: Andy Burnham confirms bid for return to Parliament but major hurdles remainREAD MORE: All the Labour MPs calling for Keir Starmer to quit – find out if your MP is one of them
But allies of Mr Streeting were adamant on Thursday he had sufficient support. In his resignation letter, Mr Streeting instead suggested the Prime Minister should first set out a timetable for his departure. He said: “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.
“It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.”
In a letter responding, Mr Starmer, who has previously vowed to fight any leadership challenge, said: “I am very sorry that you have stepped down from government. We have worked together for many years and I want to thank you for all your hard work in helping to get us back into government and for all that you have achieved as Health Secretary.”
A Labour MP supportive of Mr Streeting told The Mirror: “Keir needs to accept reality and set out a timetable for his departure. Wes did the principled thing and resigned and called for a full and proper contest.”
But Mr Streeting’s path to power appeared to narrow as Angela Rayner also revealed she had been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing by HMRC over her tax affairs. It opens the door for her to launch her own bid for Downing Street if the contest is triggered. Ms Rayner, who was forced to resign as Deputy Prime Minister in September last year over the issue, has now settled a £40,000 payment in unpaid stamp duty. She indicated she may enter any Labour leadership contest that is triggered saying she wanted to “play my part”.
But the former Cabinet minister ruled out launching a coup against the PM herself, telling the Guardian: “I’ve made it clear that I wasn’t going to trigger the prime minister – and that I want to see change. I want to see actions, not just words.”
Ms Rayner also denied making any deals with Mr Burnham, who was spotted at the former Cabinet minister’s Ashton-under-Lyne home in Greater Manchester last month.
During a day of high-drama at Westminster, there were also reports that the armed forces minister Al Carns could throw his hat into the ring of any contest despite only entering the Commons two years ago.
In a speech on Friday morning, Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell is expected to make a plea for unity after the mud-slinging and in-fighting in the party’s ranks in recent days.
She will tell the Fire Brigades’ Union conference: “The election results last week were deeply painful and difficult for our Party, and the aftermath has been unedifying for us all too. We don’t do hostile take-overs in Labour for a reason. Keir is the Leader, and I warned against bloody internal battles reflecting badly.
“If we think we don’t have further to fall, that’s a mistake, we can. We must come back together as one team to take the fight to Farage and show that mainstream progressive politics can bring about the change people are crying out for. That also means doing politics differently. Ending briefing wars, ending factionalism, and representing all our traditions with our strongest team on the pitch – being one Labour team.
“Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner should all be key players in our team. Andy wants to come back to Parliament – I’ve always supported his desire to do so, and I support that again. As Deputy Leader, I am confident he would have the support of the vast majority of the Party and movement in doing so.”
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves warned colleagues not to put the economy “at risk” by “plunging the country into chaos” after figures showed gross domestic product grew in the first three months of the year. She said: “We shouldn’t put that at risk by plunging the country in chaos at a time when there is conflict in the world.”
