Starmer will not set timetable to leave No 10 if Burnham wins by-election
Sir Keir Starmer insisted he would not set out a timetable to leave No 10 as Andy Burnham vowed to “change Labour” if he is successful in his effort to return to Parliament.
The Prime Minister said he still wants to lead Labour into the next general election amid calls from within the party to set out a timetable for his exit. Greater Manchester Mayor Mr Burnham hopes to be Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which could provide him with a route back to the Commons to challenge for the party leadership and the keys to Downing Street. Sir Keir, speaking to broadcasters in London, was asked whether he would set out a timetable to stand down if his rival Mr Burnham returns to Westminster. The Prime Minister said: “I’m not going to do that.” And he said: “I do want to fight the next election. Obviously, I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around and making sure that my focus is in the right place. “The last 10 days, there’s been a lot of activity, which hasn’t been as focused in my view as it should have been, and I remind myself every day that I was elected to office to serve the people, to serve the country, that’s what I believe in, and that’s what I’ll be getting on with.” Asked if he would fight a leadership contest if a rival had the 81 MPs needed to launch a challenge, he said: “We’re not at that position … but I’ve said, I don’t know how many times, that I’m not going to walk away.” Mr Burnham said Labour’s offer to voters had “simply not been good enough”. In a speech at a northern investment summit in Leeds, he said: “I’m clear about what I am offering. If I get to stand, a vote for me will be a vote to change Labour, because Labour needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust. “It will be a vote to make life more affordable again, a vote to power up places, a vote to reindustrialise.” He promised a “new path which brings the country back together”, adding: “I know what my party has offered in the past has simply not been good enough.” He said there was a “bloated national state” and a “malnourished local one” as he argued for further devolution. Mr Burnham said he wanted to “transfer power and resources back to local areas” if he is “returned to Parliament”. He said he was “not proposing that the UK considers rejoining” the European Union, and warned against re-running the arguments of the Brexit years. He said it was more important to “focus on what we’ve got in common” ahead of the by-election battle in the Leave-voting Makerfield seat. Mr Burnham has previously said he wanted to see the UK back in the EU within his lifetime. Brexit is likely to be a major issue in any Labour leadership contest after former health secretary Wes Streeting, who will attempt to join any battle to replace Sir Keir, set out his desire to eventually rejoin the EU. Sir Keir said he did not want to get “lost in a debate about what may happen years down the line” with the EU. On Monday, Josh Simons, who announced last week he wanted Mr Burnham to stand in his Makerfield seat, officially left the Commons by being made Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern under the archaic procedure required to quit as an MP. Applications for Labour’s Makerfield candidacy closed on Monday and the party’s ruling National Executive Committee will endorse a candidate on Thursday. The Prime Minister said the contest was “a fight between Labour and Reform” and “I will be backing 100% whoever the candidate is”. He called on the whole party for support and said “whatever views people may have on the direction of the party, that needs to be put to one side” so Labour can come together to campaign.
Published: by Radio NewsHub