Andy Burnham used a BBC Question Time special to declare for the first time that he would seek to become Labour leader and Prime Minister – a slow-motion coup that hardened Keir Starmer’s resolve to fight any challenge. “I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it,” the Greater Manchester mayor told the audience on Thursday night. “But I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same.”
The admission – long the subtext of his dash for a parliamentary seat – came after weeks of speculation triggered by Labour’s disastrous local election results last month, in which the party lost control of the Welsh Senedd and nearly 1,500 councillors in England. Streeting and a handful of junior ministers quit the government in the aftermath, and the former health secretary has confirmed he would enter any potential contest, encouraging people to back Burnham in the Makerfield by-election on 18 June.
“Andy Burnham declares he will join Labour leadership contest if he wins Makerfield by-election; Starmer vows to fight any challenge.”
“I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same,” Burnham added, nodding earlier in the programme as audience members attacked Starmer’s record and called for change. The prime minister, who still believes a leadership contest could plunge the country into chaos, has now told supporters he will stand – a hardening of position triggered directly by Burnham’s comments. Until now, Starmer and his allies had insisted he would not walk away, but a big question mark remained over whether he would actually fight. Now he has made clear he will.
No 10 responded before the programme had even concluded: “The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and it has not been triggered. The Prime Minister will not walk away from the mandate he was given just two years ago to build a stronger, fairer Britain.” Starmer, who won a massive majority in the last general election, said he was determined to deliver on that mandate.
Much now hinges on the Makerfield result. Burnham must win the by-election to be able to stand in a leadership contest, and the gathered forces of the Labour Party are hiking up to Wigan to campaign for him. As the sitting leader, Starmer would automatically be on the ballot sent to party members. The chances of a full-blown leadership scrap appear to have risen sharply.
On the same Question Time panel, Reform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon had a tough time when confronted by his own historic comments about women’s rights. “I hold my hands up, I’ve made mistakes,” he said. He tried to regain the initiative by attacking “career politicians” and pitting Wigan against Burnham’s Greater Manchester fiefdom, saying “while Manchester thrives, we’re struggling to survive in Wigan.” One audience member shot back: “I’d rather have a career politician than a plumber who’s a sexist.” Kenyon was locked away with Reform’s senior figures for hours preparing for the appearance; he made no great blunders but was laughed at when he said the party’s policy of hiring 30,000 new police officers was beyond his comprehension as a local candidate.
Burnham, for his part, criticised Nigel Farage’s response to the Henry Nowak case, saying the Reform leader’s appeal to “pure, cold rage” reminded him of the politics of the USA and should be avoided in Britain. The mayor’s pitch was largely unchanged since he first outlined his “Manchesterism” programme last September – but now he has turned subtext into text, and the Labour leadership is bracing for a fight.