Wes Streeting has said he is prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest as soon as next week, piling pressure on Sir Keir Starmer as he tries to head off a challenge from Andy Burnham. Speaking to Sky News, the former health secretary predicted the prime minister would face a contest, adding on BBC’s Newsnight: “I would prefer the PM to take a decision on his own terms… if not, there will need to be a contest and I would be prepared to do that.”
Starmer, speaking from the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, attempted to buy off Burnham by offering him a cabinet job if he wins the Makerfield by-election on Thursday. “He’s a huge asset… I hope he wins and he plays a big part in the Labour government,” the prime minister said. But he also warned Burnham against launching an immediate challenge, urging him and the party to focus on the subsequent Greater Manchester mayoral by-election that would follow if Burnham wins and is forced to resign as mayor. “We do have a Manchester mayoralty by-election which will follow immediately on… we’re all going to have to focus on that,” Starmer said.
“Wes Streeting threatens to trigger Labour leadership contest after Makerfield by-election as Starmer offers Burnham cabinet job.”
The prime minister’s plea came as two new polls showed Burnham’s popularity plunging. A YouGov survey put his net favourability at -11 points, down from +9 in April, while Ipsos recorded a -7% approval rating, down 15 points in a month. “He still needs to demonstrate he can persuade those sitting on the fence that he would offer a better alternative,” said Gideon Skinner of Ipsos.
The news came as the party mourned the death of former deputy leader Roy Hattersley, aged 93. Starmer called him “a giant of the Labour movement”, while Neil Kinnock praised his “deep conviction” and Tony Blair said he was “one of the greats”.
If Burnham wins in Makerfield, he must resign as mayor, triggering a Manchester mayoral by-election expected by 6 August. Labour sources said the party’s National Executive Committee was considering drawing up a shortlist of one candidate to campaign immediately, with the system reverting to supplementary vote – a change that could benefit Labour by attracting second preferences from Green and Liberal Democrat voters. Reform UK is expected to fight hard to win the mayoralty, though Burnham is projected to beat Robert Kenyon in Makerfield. For now, the prime minister is left waiting to see whether the by-election’s outcome will unleash the very contest he is trying to avoid.