Andy Burnham has explicitly dismissed the idea of an early general election, telling the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: "I'm going to rule it out... I don't think people want it." In an exclusive interview, the new prime minister insisted the majority of the electorate "voted for a manifesto" at the last election and vowed he would "honour that manifesto" with the support of parliamentary colleagues. "I just think what I most need to do is get Britain focused on getting the country back where it should be, getting it working," he said.
But the declaration came as Baroness Harriet Harman urged Burnham to "build bridges" with the Starmerite minister he sacked during his reshuffle. Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the veteran Labour figure did not name the sacked minister directly, but the reference was widely taken to be to Darren Jones, a key ally of former leader Sir Keir Starmer who was removed from his post in Burnham's first cabinet changes. The call for reconciliation underscores the lingering tensions within the party after Burnham's swift consolidation of power.
“Burnham rules out early election in BBC interview; Harman urges him to reconcile with sacked Starmerite minister.”
The full interview with Burnham will air across BBC News on Sunday and be shown in full on Panorama on Monday at 20:00 BST. As the prime minister focuses on his promise to honour the manifesto, the question of whether he can heal internal divisions while delivering on that pledge remains unanswered.
