Starmer to campaign for potential leadership challenger Burnham in UK by-election
Asked directly whether he would support Burnham’s campaign, the Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Starmer replied: "Yes, and I’ve said to the whole Labour movement that I want everybody to be involved in the campaign.
Keir Starmer has said he will join the campaign trail for Andy Burnham in the north-west England bye-election, throwing his weight behind a figure widely seen as a possible rival for the Labour leadership.
At the same time, the British prime minister and Labour leader tried to shift attention onto his government’s record and away from what he called “all the other discussions that are going on” — an apparent nod to the leadership speculation that has shadowed him since Labour’s heavy losses in local and devolved elections earlier this month.
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Asked directly whether he would support Burnham’s campaign, the Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Starmer replied: “Yes, and I’ve said to the whole Labour movement that I want everybody to be involved in the campaign.
“Whatever other discussions are going on, it’s really important – that’s a straight fight between Labour and Reform (UK).
Mr Starmer added: “I want to be part of that, of course I do, and I want everybody to be part of that, but also by being clear about the steps we’ve taken to stabilise the economy.
“So, we’ve got a very good story to tell.”
Pressed on whether he was frustrated that Labour MPs have focused on Burnham and on former health secretary Wes Streeting’s leadership ambitions, Starmer pointed instead to what he described as a run of positive developments for the government.
“There’s been a lot going on in the last two weeks, but what is important for me to draw out is that actually the last week, in terms of what we’ve delivered, is really significant,” Mr Starmer said.
Burnham’s office welcomed the offer of support ahead of the Makerfield bye-election on 18 June.
A spokesperson said: “Anyone who wants to embrace Andy’s campaign message is welcome on the campaign”.
Streeting wants changes to Capital Gains Tax
Mr Streeting said he supported moves to align Capital Gains Tax with Income Tax, arguing that doing so would make the system “fairer”.
“We need a wealth tax that works. A pound made from simply owning assets should not be taxed less than a pound made from a hard day’s work,” the former health secretary said.
Mr Streeting has already said that he believes the UK should seek to rejoin the European Union.
On Saturday, he said he wanted to challenge Mr Starmer if a Labour leadership contest takes place, just days after stepping down and urging the prime minister to set out a timetable for his departure.
Additional reporting Reuters
