Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership within a fortnight of the Makerfield by-election if he succeeds in his bid to return as an MP, The i Paper can reveal. Cabinet ministers are braced for Burnham to launch a contest to try to succeed the Prime Minister by the end of June or early July.
Senior ministers are war-gaming how quickly Burnham will declare his candidacy for Labour leader. They are weighing up whether he needs a period to get to know colleagues in Parliament and establish a clear programme for government, while simultaneously convincing Starmer to retire quietly.
Party insiders are pushing Burnham to axe the controversial triple lock on state pensions, introduced by the Conservatives in 2010, to free up cash for defence and young people. The policy ensures the state pension rises in line with the highest of inflation, wage growth or 2.5 per cent, and has been blamed for the ballooning welfare budget under Labour.
Meanwhile, dozens of arrests were made outside Woolwich Crown Court on Friday as around 500 Palestine Action supporters protested during the sentencing of four activists who broke into the Elbit Systems factory in Bristol in 2024. The four were jailed for up to seven years and eight months for criminal damage and assault, with the judge ruling the offences were linked to terrorism.
