The Mayor of Greater Manchester was grilled over a move against the PM, and repeatedly deflected while claiming he could not ‘rule out what might or might not happen’
Andy Burnham has refused to rule out challenging Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party.
Grilled on the issue on Thursday morning, the Mayor of Greater Manchester repeatedly deflected and said he was not in a position to rule out a move against the PM.
It follows Labour MP Clive Lewis saying he would be willing to give up his parliamentary seat to allow Mr Burnham to mount a leadership challenge.
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Asked on BBC Breakfast whether he would rule out a challenge to the PM, he said: “I am not going to sit here this morning and rule out what might or might not happen because I don’t know what the future will hold.”
When pressed again on a potential leadership challenge, Mr Burnham said: “I am not in a position this morning to do that. The questions you are always asked on these things – how do you answer them?
“All I can do is be here, present in the here and now, and do my job for Greater Manchester.
“The country is crying out for a plan for growth that benefits people, reduces the cost of living.
“We have got more functional in Greater Manchester as the country has got more dysfunctional, and maybe it is that Westminster politics is the problem, and the type of questions you have been putting at me.”
Mr Burnham has also said he “appreciates the support” of Mr Lewis.
Asked about it on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Burnham said: “I appreciate the support, but I couldn’t have brought forward a plan of the kind that I brought forward today without being fully focused on my role of mayor of Greater Manchester.
“And I’m providing leadership on growth, which is what I think the country needs and is helpful to the Government right now, and we’re doing this in advance of the budget.
“I hope to really bring to life the growth story for the Government.
“I would just finish by saying this, what I think part of the country’s problem is, the political culture of Westminster, which is playing out in front of us right now.
“In Greater Manchester, we’ve built a new economy and a new way of doing politics and more of that is what the country needs.”