The Mayor of Greater Manchester has said he is being urged to challenge the Prime Minister for the Labour Party leadership. Andy Burnham declined to rule out running for the leadership ahead of the local elections in May.
In an interview with The Telegraph, he outlined his broad manifesto, promising to “turn the country around” by increasing council tax on high-priced homes, building council houses, cutting income tax for low earners, and increasing it for high earners. Burnham said that Downing Street has created a “climate of fear” among MPs and “alienation and demoralisation” within the party. There is speculation that the Manchester Mayor is looking for a constituency to run in next May, with polling showing he is more popular than Keir Starmer among Labour members and the wider public. He said this week that his challenge to Starmer for leadership is “for other people in Westminster to make a decision about”, but insisted he was not “plotting to get back”.
The Mayor said that MPs have “contacted (him) throughout the summer”, saying: “I’m not going to say to you that (MPs asking him to go for leadership) hasn’t happened, but as I say, it’s more a decision for those people than it is for me.”
Burnham has been the Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. Before this, he was the MP for Leigh between 2001 and 2017, serving as Chief Secretary, Culture Secretary, and Health Secretary under Gordon Brown’s 2007 to 2010 Cabinet.
He ran in the Labour Party leadership elections of 2010 and 2015, coming fourth and second, respectively, and told The Telegraph that the job still interested him.
“I stood twice to be leader of the Labour Party. And I think that tells you, doesn’t it?” before adding that several MPs said they would support his bid.
One backbencher said Burnham “would have a caucus of support” if he ran. Another said: “If Andy’s going to go, he’s got to come out. He’s got to stop playing footsie with the Labour Party and say that the current man’s not up to it.”
To challenge Starmer, Burnham would have to resign his mayoralty, win a Westminster seat in a by-election, and receive nominations from at least 80 Labour MPs.
