Keir Starmer will not block leadership hopeful Andy Burnham from standing in a by-election to re-enter parliament, it has been reported. The Greater Manchester mayor announced his intention last night to run in Makerfield after current MP Josh Simons stepped down to allow him to contend the seat.
Burnham was previously rejected as a candidate in Gorton and Denton, but it is understood that the party intends to give him the green light this time, if he is chosen by constituency members. The move comes after Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary yesterday, calling for a 'broad' leadership contest in a parting letter to Number 10.
Number 10 Taking Stock After Whirlwind 24 Hours
It's business as usual in Number 10, but the Prime Minister and his aides will certainly have plenty to talk about this morning. Last night, the Mayor of Greater Manchester said he wanted to return to Westminster to 'make politics work properly for people' after Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, said he would stand down so Mr Burnham can 'drive the change our country is crying out for'.
It is now understood that Keir will not seek to block Burnham from becoming Labour's candidate in the forthcoming by-election, but first the party's National Executive Committee needs to give him the green light to stand when it meets next week. Earlier yesterday, Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary, while former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner revealed that she had been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing over her tax affairs, clearing the path for a potential tilt at the top job.
Keir Starmer Ready to Fight On
Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson reports that Cabinet Minister Steve Reed, in his first interview of a back-to-back round across TV and radio stations this morning, slapped down any suggestion Keir Starmer is considering his position. 'I saw Keir Starmer yesterday and that isn't true,' he said. The PM has said for some time he'll fight a challenge to his leadership. But Andy Burnham, who is hugely popular among the public and the Labour party, yesterday found a route back to Parliament, which puts a spanner in the works.
Mr Reed, the Housing Secretary, continued to insist that changing leaders is the wrong route and hit out at the Tories 'doom scrolling through leader after leader after leader'. But he added he will campaign in a Makerfield by-election for whoever is Labour candidate, including Burnham, after Labour MP Josh Simons said he'd stand down in the area to make way for the Greater Manchester mayor. Mr Reed said: 'I would be very happy if it was Andy Burnham, and I would happily go up and campaign for him, as I would for any other candidate selected by local Labour Party members.'
Green Party Leader Didn't Vote in Election
Green Party leader Zack Polanksi did not vote in last week's local elections because he was not registered, the party has admitted. A spokesperson said he 'fell short of time' to update his address on the electoral register after moving in 'as a lodger' in rented accommodation. It comes after party bosses were forced to admit the 43-year-old may have failed to pay council tax while living in a houseboat moored in East London.
