Labour leadership frontrunner Andy Burnham will start receiving Government briefings to prepare for power as outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he would seek to resolve difficult issues before his successor takes over.
Sir Keir has authorised Civil Service access talks to begin with prospective candidates in preparation for the change in No 10, Downing Street confirmed. The Prime Minister told his Cabinet on Tuesday morning that he wanted an orderly transition and would try to make the transition as easy as possible for his replacement.
According to the readout of the weekly meeting, Sir Keir said he would seek to resolve difficult issues in the coming weeks to support his successor and wanted whoever became the next prime minister to succeed.
Transition Details and Policy Constraints
Downing Street said no major new policy decisions or spending pledges would be made during this period, adding that Sir Keir would agree priorities with Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo in the coming days. However, the defence investment plan (Dip), delayed for months due to internal wrangling over funding, is one loose end he intends to tie up before leaving office.
Sir Keir's plans to publish the document before the Nato summit on July 7 could cause friction with Mr Burnham's team after The Times reported that allies of the newly-elected MP believe the decision should fall to the next leader. When asked whether Sir Keir was concerned about the work of Government grinding to a halt during the transition, his official spokesman said the normal business of Government continues.
The former Greater Manchester mayor will begin to set out his policy platform, pledging economic growth and a commitment to Labour's existing fiscal rules in a speech next week. Many see him as a prime minister-in-waiting following his Makerfield by-election win and his main rival, former health secretary Wes Streeting, backing him to succeed Sir Keir, who announced his resignation on Monday.
Potential Leadership Challenges
But Mr Burnham could still face hurdles as two senior Labour MPs weigh up whether to launch leadership bids to prevent a coronation. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones and former armed forces minister Al Carns are being considered as potential candidates by those wary about installing Mr Burnham without a contest.
Sources close to Mr Jones said he was not currently minded to run but would want assurances on the former mayor's approach to economic policy, amid concerns about potential unease in the markets. Meanwhile, former Royal Marines officer Mr Carns told journalists at the Foreign Press Association in London that he had not ruled out standing in a potential contest.
Mr Carns said Mr Burnham would listen to the Parliamentary Labour Party and take advice on policy ideas, adding: "A vision without a plan is a dream and if you don't have it, it can turn into a nightmare pretty quickly."
When asked whether he would launch his own leadership bid, Mr Carns said: "A decision is often based on multiple factors. I just need to see and buy into that vision and that policy and then we'll see where we go from there."
Support for Burnham and Cabinet Speculation
Burnham backer Nick Thomas-Symonds suggested a contest would not be in the best interests of the country. The Cabinet Office minister told Sky News: "I just think we have to weigh up what is in the best interests of the country. I am of the view that it needs to be a swift transition but of course I understand colleagues have difficult decisions to make."
The new Makerfield MP, who only returned to the Commons on Monday, could be in Downing Street within weeks if a challenger does not emerge. Talks are also said to be taking place about who will sit in his Cabinet, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood both tipped as potential candidates to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor.
But Mr Burnham's allies said no jobs had been given and no deals had been made as of Monday evening. The Chancellor's successor would be bound by the rules she set, which aim to restrict borrowing and pay for day-to-day spending out of tax revenues by the end of the decade.
Mr Burnham knows he has to reassure the City about his economic plans, having previously caused alarm by saying "we've got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets."
Timeline and Next Steps
If Mr Burnham is the only candidate to receive the support needed to stand in the contest for the vacant Labour leadership, he could become prime minister as early as July 17. Sir Keir announced he would be standing down in an emotional statement outside No 10 on Monday, promising an orderly handover of power to his successor.
Defending his record, he pledged to give the next leader "my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago." Sir Keir said he would ask Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to set out a timetable that would see a new leader in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer recess on September 1 if there is a contest.
But Mr Burnham could be the only candidate when nominations close on July 16. Potential candidates have until then to amass the support of at least 81 Labour MPs.
