Burnham eyes return as MP to challenge Starmer

Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure over his leadership after a Labour MP stepped aside to give Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham a route back to parliament — and a possible platform to challenge for the top job.

Mr Burnham said he wanted to return to Westminster to “make politics work properly for people” after Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, announced he would resign his seat so Mr Burnham could “drive the change our country is crying out for”.

Sources said Mr Starmer does not plan to stand in the way of Mr Burnham becoming Labour’s candidate in the coming bye-election. Before that can happen, however, the party’s National Executive Committee must approve his candidacy when it meets next week.

The drama followed a turbulent day in Westminster. Earlier yesterday, Wes Streeting quit as health secretary, while former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said she had been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing over her tax affairs, removing a potential obstacle to any future leadership bid.

Both Andy Burnham (R) and Angela Rayner have been mentioned as possible challengers to Keir Starmer’s leadership

By lunchtime yesterday, though, Mr Streeting was the only cabinet figure to have left the Government. He was later succeeded by former chief secretary to the Treasury James Murray.

Even so, Mr Streeting stopped short of using his resignation to launch a leadership campaign, as some had anticipated. Instead, he urged Mr Starmer to allow the “best possible field of candidates” to contest who should replace him in Downing Street.

It remains uncertain whether Mr Streeting can command the backing of the 81 Labour MPs required to mount a formal challenge against the prime minister.

By mid-afternoon yesterday, no leadership bid had yet materialised, and attention shifted to Mr Burnham and whether he would make his move.

But in announcing on social media that he planned to return to Westminster, Mr Burnham suggested any leadership contest should be delayed until after he had re-entered parliament.

He said: “We owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the prime minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the bye-election takes place.”

Read more:Burnham gives Starmer breathing room, but the pressure continues to build

The statement came just minutes after Mr Simons — once a Starmer loyalist who resigned as a minister in February amid controversy surrounding a think tank he had previously run — called for a “change in leadership” as he said he would vacate his seat for Mr Burnham.

Although about 89 MPs have now publicly urged Mr Starmer to resign, they have yet to unite behind a single successor.

If he chose not to step down, Mr Starmer would automatically appear on the ballot in any contest, and Downing Street has continued to maintain that he would resist any attempt to remove him.

Mr Streeting’s resignation marks the first cabinet exit, following Tuesday’s departures of junior ministers Jess Phillips, Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh.

Armed forces minister Al Carns and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband have also been floated as potential contenders in any leadership race.