Speculation is mounting this weekend that Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham could be planning to mount a challenge for the Labour leadership
Prime Minister Kier Starmer is under pressure after this week’s sacking of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador and the previous week’s resignation of Angela Rayner and the subsequent cabinet reshuffle while Manchester MP Lucy Powell sacked from the cabinet by Starmer is in a two horse race to be the new deputy leader
There is no doubt that it’s a long road for Andy Burnham to challenge Starmer, the first that he had to become an MP but there are rumours that Graham Stringer may be stepping down due to ill Heath but even if that were to happen and a by election was called,would it be a safe Labour seat given the rise of Reform and the unprecedented spotlight that would inevitably occur once called?
Based on polling earlier this summer Reform have a 90% chance of winning Blackley & Middleton South constituency in Manchester,backed up by Nigel’s Farage’s comments over the weekend that he would throw the kitchen sink at Burnham if he decided to stand
Stringer has however rejected suggestions he’ll retire to make way for Andy Burnham to return to Parliament,
Another possibility is the seat of Andrew Gwynne sacked from the party over WhatsApp messages though again the message from the MP for Gorton and Denton is that he is going howhere
The Telegraph reports former welfare rebels are rallying round Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and at the weekend the same paper claimed Burnham is laying the groundwork for a leadership bid on its front page saying that the Mayor has launched a new campaign group calling on Downing Street to introduce wealth taxes, nationalise utility companies and end the two-child benefit cap.
He is also expected to explicitly criticise Sir Keir at Labour’s annual party conference later this month, calling for a “reset” to help Labour win the next election.
The announcement last week of the start of a New Labour group Mainstream which has Burnham as one of its major backers is also bring seen as a vehicle for a challenge
The group is calling on No 10 to introduce wealth taxes, nationalise utility companies and end the two-child benefit cap.
Burnham has also been highly critical of the government and was particularly prominent during the backlash over Starmer’s welfare reforms, which were subsequently abandoned.
Last week Burnham was quick off the mark over the sacking of Peter Mandelson saying that the public will want to “question” the vetting process that allowed Lord Mandelson to become the US ambassador
Burnham’s work though in Manchester is unfinished, his transformation of the Bus Service after bringing it into local ownership and the setting up of the Bee Network has one final piece in the jigsaw, the integration of a local rail service
The clean air strategy still has some way to go for implementation and there is still much to do to get the plans for the £2 billion development of Old Trafford
To leave an unfinished job would seem unlikely and during his time as Major he has frequently criticised the London Centric way of Westminster politics which he would be drawn back into
