Starmer vows to ‘struggle’ Burnham in management race after claiming it might convey ‘chaos’
Sources close to the PM have stated Starmer has declared he would ‘fight’ any future leadership election launched by Andy Burnham or any other MP attempting to take his position
A fight is brewing(Image: Ian Vogler / PA ROTA – B68 / Avalon)
Keir Starmer has vowed he will “fight” Andy Burnham in a Labour leadership election, it is claimed.
The Prime Minister has told allies he will “fight it” when asked if he would back his corner if a leadership election was called, Labour insiders said. Despite resignations from his cabinet, Sir Keir said he would not back down if a leadership race was triggered by MPs.
It comes Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham said he would cut business rates for pubs and consider dropping employer National Insurance contributions if he wins the Makerfield byelection and a future leadership contest to become PM.
The comments come after Starmer said he was “not going to walk away” from the job and any leadership race would “plunge the country into chaos.”
One Labour MP backing the PM told The Sun: “He is not going anywhere, so game on. Andy and Wes are underestimating the mood. There is a lot more support for Keir in the PLP than people think.
“And the British public love an underdog. If they see a man targeted and attacked the mood can change very quickly. And my members do not like the way this leadership talk has played out publicly.”
Another Labour MP has claimed Starmer is far from finished. The source said: “The PM still has lots of support in Parliament and the party. He’ll fight any challenge.”
Another added: “It is right that, after not even 2 years as PM, Keir Starmer is going to fight any potential leadership contest – and he has a strong chance of winning.
“Many Labour MPs, activists, and members of the public have made clear how appalled they are by Wes and Andy’s self-interested behaviour in recent weeks (nobody is born to have “their” turn at being PM). They are only discussing policies nobody voted for, and they can’t seem to add up. Clearly, the country deserves better.”
The development comes after Wes Streeting has made a series of concerning claims attacking the Prime Minister after the former Health Secretary resigned. Streeting has claimed he felt like “hitting up against a brick wall” after raising concerns about the war in Gaza.
In an interview with the Guardian, Streeting stated: “In government, I did everything I could behind the scenes to get the government to act with the moral urgency the conflict demands. That included sharing the eyewitness testimony of doctors on the ground in Gaza, whose accounts needed to be heard at the highest levels of government to ensure that what was happening in Gaza wasn’t a war without witnesses.”
He added: “I wasn’t by any means the only cabinet minister pushing for action, but we often felt like we were hitting up against a brick wall. Our concerns and motives were dismissed.”
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