Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has once again refused to explicitly rule out challenging Sir Keir Starmer for the position of Prime Minister, further intensifying speculation about a potential leadership coup against the current premier. This comes amid growing internal anxiety over the government's direction, abysmal approval ratings, and escalating discontent among Labour backbenchers. Speculation that the mayor, who stepped down from the House of Commons in 2017, was considering a return to Westminster to challenge Sir Keir for the party leadership dominated the Labour conference in September after he dropped several clear hints about his intentions, rreports The WP Times with reference to the Independent.
When asked directly on Thursday whether he could definitively rule out challenging the Prime Minister, Mr. Burnham repeatedly evaded the question. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he stated: “One of the frustrations I find is that when Westminster goes into meltdown, I'm always sort of dragged into it. I haven't launched any leadership challenge.” He added that he was focused on doing his job to the best of his ability, aiming to "help the country and the government by putting forward the kind of plan that I'm putting forward today. Not constantly answering hypothetical questions.”
When pressed again to dismiss the possibility of a leadership bid, Mr. Burnham maintained his non-committal stance: “I am not going to sit here this morning and kind of rule out what might or might not happen in the future, because why would I. I don't know what the future will hold.” He emphasized that his current priority was his role as mayor of "the most successful city region in the country, the fastest growing," and putting forward a plan, rather than "go back to my old world, where everyone is constantly speculating about everything, not putting forward solutions for the benefit of the country.” When asked a final time, he responded, “What do you want me to do or say…I’m here this morning to do my job and I hope you would let me do my job.”
The mayor’s refusal to quash the rumours follows just one day after Labour MP Clive Lewis suggested he would be willing to resign his Norwich South parliamentary seat to facilitate Mr. Burnham's return to the Commons and allow him to mount a leadership challenge. Mr. Lewis, who had previously declared Sir Keir’s position "not tenable," stated he would put "country before party, party before personal ambition," suggesting he would indeed step aside.
The broader civil war within the Labour Party saw Health Secretary Wes Streeting forced to deny accusations of plotting a coup to overthrow Sir Keir, and allies of former Deputy Leader Angela Rayner were also obliged to dismiss claims of an attempt to topple the Prime Minister. The bitter row prompted a defiant Sir Keir Starmer to vow that he would lead Labour into the next general election, due to be held no later than 2029, while criticizing the speculation as time-wasting. Compounding the Prime Minister’s difficulties, The Times reported this week that MPs on the left of the party's Tribune Group are pushing ahead with preparations for a potential leadership contest, believing they could secure the backing of the 80 MPs necessary to trigger a formal challenge. Public opinion also appears unfavourable, with a YouGov survey suggesting that only 34 per cent of Labour voters think Sir Keir should still be leading the party by the next election.
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