Al Carns, the former defence minister who resigned over budget concerns, has refused to rule out a Labour leadership bid – but says he will wait until Andy Burnham’s major economics speech before deciding whether to challenge the party’s favourite.
The Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak told BBC Politics Midlands he wanted to hear “really clear and concise outcomes” from Burnham about where the country should be by 2029 and 2034-35. “We need to see a vision, we need to see the plan because unfortunately a vision without a plan is a dream,” Carns said. “Let’s see how that lands.”
“Former defence minister Al Carns will decide on a Labour leadership bid after hearing Andy Burnham's economics speech.”
Carns would need 81 MP nominations and support from trade unions to enter the contest. Meanwhile, would-be rivals Wes Streeting and Darren Jones have already stepped aside, leaving Burnham with growing momentum. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who served as a cabinet minister under Gordon Brown, knows well the pressures of a leadership race. Back in 2010, after Labour’s election defeat, Burnham was kicked out of his Department of Health office and moved to the same cramped room in the Norman Shaw Building he had shared as a new MP. He recalled listening to Radio 5 while James Purnell tuned into Radio 4 – “if you want to sum up the difference between us, it’s probably that.” Despite being seen as a 14-1 outsider, Burnham fought on, coining “aspirational socialism” and proposing a National Care Service to provide free personal care. When an unattributed source briefed that he was preparing to withdraw, Burnham called it “a very deliberate attempt to knock me off course.”
Now, as the party heavyweight prepares to deliver a defining speech, Carns is watching closely – particularly on defence. Carns resigned as Armed Forces Minister earlier this month over the defence budget, a pressing issue as the government is expected to reveal its Defence Investment Plan before a Nato summit on 7 July, despite Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation. “It’s much broader than just defence, bombs, bullets and battleships,” Carns said. “It’s actually about national resilience.” He also made clear he would not fund defence by cutting welfare: “a pound off a nurse to give it to a soldier? I just don’t agree with that premise.” By contrast, Conservative MP Neil Shastri-Hurst told the same programme his party “would look at social security spending.”
For now, Carns is holding fire. “I’m not going to start jumping up and down until I’ve had a look,” he said. The question is whether Burnham’s speech will provide the vision Carns demands – or become the trigger for a contest the favourite hoped to avoid.