Nigel Farage has accused Andy Burnham of orchestrating a “coup” and demanded an immediate general election, as the Manchester mayor stands on the cusp of becoming prime minister after Keir Starmer’s exit.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Farage claimed that “in the space of just a few short weeks, Andy Burnham has effectively crowbarred his way into No10 without anyone even trying to block his path”. He called the transition a “coup” and insisted: “We MUST have an election now.”
“Nigel Farage accuses Andy Burnham of a 'coup' and demands election as Burnham faces foreign policy scrutiny.”
The attack comes as Burnham, who has spent 25 years in politics, prepares to take the reins of government with a strikingly thin foreign policy record. According to the New Statesman, the man “who is about to become prime minister has said little about foreign policy” throughout his career. Foreign leaders and diplomats who have been “tapping up contacts” for information over recent weeks have been left “frustratingly short-changed”.
The looming question for Burnham is whether he will continue Starmer’s cautious approach – edging the UK closer to Europe while trying not to offend the US – or adopt a more confrontational stance. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described Donald Trump as having created a “rupture in the world order”, and Burnham must now decide which side of that divide he falls on.
With Farage’s demand for a snap election adding to the pressure, Burnham’s first foreign policy decisions will be watched closely by allies and adversaries alike – and by a public that may not have voted for the man now heading to Downing Street.