Nigel Farage has demanded a general election following Sir Keir Starmer's announcement of his resignation as Prime Minister, and threatened to depose leadership favourite Andy Burnham if he becomes the next PM. The Reform UK leader, whose party was defeated by Burnham in the Makerfield by-election, stated: "Starmer isn't the first Prime Minister I've deposed, and he won't be the last. The reason each leader has failed is the same."
Farage's Call for Election
Writing in his Substack blog, Farage, 62, said: "That is why I am calling for a General Election at the soonest possible date. You know as well as I do that the country cannot afford to waste another week drifting from crisis to crisis." He added: "What the political class fails to understand is that the electorate won't accept being taken for fools. They cannot continue to take the votes of the people who supported them for granted, only to betray them upon having gained power. Politics is about trust."
Threat to Burnham
The Clacton MP, who spent 21 years as an MEP and stood for election as an MP seven times, warned: "If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming." He vowed: "Reform is ready for an election, and we are ready to deliver radical change." Farage claimed Burnham was scared of Reform in his 1,477-word essay, published shortly after Starmer's emotional statement outside Number 10.
Critique of Burnham's Victory
Farage dismissed Burnham's by-election win, stating: "On the ballot paper in that by-election, there was no discussion about 'Manchesterism', no pretence that Burnham had any actual solutions to the problems plaguing the country. He simply repackaged Reform's winning strategy from the May elections to great effect to Get Starmer Out. When he knocked on doors, he didn't try and convince people that he was the right man to represent their constituency, just that he was not Keir Starmer." He added: "Andy Burnham has good reason to be afraid of us. Reform is the only party that listens to the desires of working people and offers them solutions, rather than flattery and patronisation."
Political Context
The demand comes as Burnham could become Prime Minister within weeks after Labour leadership rival Wes Streeting announced he would not enter the race to succeed Starmer. The former Greater Manchester mayor confirmed he would stand for the Labour leadership after Starmer pledged an "orderly handover of power". Burnham wrote on X: "His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process."
