Sir Tony Blair has expressed his desire to see Andy Burnham return to Parliament via the Makerfield by-election, but he cautioned Labour MPs to insist on clear policy positions before backing any leadership change.
Blair's Stance on Leadership
The Greater Manchester Mayor is standing as Labour's candidate in the by-election and is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership if he wins. The former prime minister stopped short of endorsing any specific challenger, instead urging the party to avoid a personality contest without a proper policy agenda.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Tony advised: "Choose your direction first and make sure that before you have any leadership change, you make all the candidates set out in detail their policy, what the Government's got right, what it's got wrong, what we should do differently."
Burnham's Candidacy
Sir Tony added: "I hope Andy wins Makerfield, I think he's a great guy, I want to see him in Parliament." However, he questioned Burnham's recent speech about Britain being "on the wrong path" for 40 years, asking what that meant for periods like Thatcher's business reforms or New Labour. "I don't think he really means that, but what I'm saying, if you're going to change leader, you've really got to force people to say where they stand," Sir Tony said, referencing what he saw as a lack of explanation when the party moved from the Corbyn agenda.
Government Response
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Dan Tomlinson agreed with Sir Tony that Labour should avoid a personality contest. He told Times Radio: "He's right that we shouldn't descend into a contest of personalities. We need to focus on the issues and the substance." Tomlinson also backed the manifesto's red lines on the single market and customs union, opposing a rush to change EU relations.
By-Election Context
The Makerfield by-election is scheduled for June 18 and is expected to be a tight contest between Labour and Reform UK. Nigel Farage's party has nominated Robert Kenyon, a plumber who finished second in the seat at the 2024 general election. A recent Survation poll gave Burnham a narrow lead of just three percentage points over Kenyon. Fourteen candidates have been confirmed, including Conservative Michael Winstanley and Green Party candidate Sarah Wakefield.
