Keir Starmer has admitted he would offer Andy Burnham a Cabinet job as part of his latest attempt to cling on to the Labour leadership. The Prime Minister offered the Manchester Mayor an olive branch on the eve of the Makerfield by-election on Thursday, which the Greater Manchester Mayor looks set to win.
Starmer's Admiration for Burnham
When asked whether Sir Keir would like Mr Burnham in his Cabinet, the PM said: “Oh, Andy is a great asset. And, yes, I want him to have a big role in government. When I came into politics in 2015, it was Andy Burnham's team that I joined, and we worked very well together. He's a huge asset. He's been a fantastic mayor in Manchester.”
Invitation to a Top Job
When pressed on whether he would call Mr Burnham at the weekend and invite him into a top job, the Labour leader said: “Well I'm sure I'll talk to Andy after the weekend, of course I will. I've spoken to him many times in recent weeks. And if he comes back into Parliament, I hope he wins in the by-election. He'll be a fantastic asset for our party and for the country.”
Focus on Manchester Mayoralty
He insisted Mr Burnham's priority should be focusing on helping to win the Manchester Mayoralty. Speaking to the BBC on the fringes of the G7 summit in France, the Prime Minister said: “I would just gently point out, that we do have a Manchester mayoralty by-election which will follow immediately on if Andy Burnham wins the by-election.”
When pressed on the issue, he added: “We tip straight out of Makerfield, if Andy Burnham wins, I hope he does, and that's why I've told our activists and members to all go and support him. So I hope he wins, but we then tip straight into the Manchester mayoralty byelection, because that's under a timeline, we start, we will, immediately, so we're all going to have to focus on that. But it is important for me to step back from this. I was elected to serve my country, I came into politics late in life for one reason, one reason only, which is to change the lives of millions of people.”
Starmer Not Bitter
Sir Keir also insisted he was “not bitter” about the predicament he finds himself in nearly two years after a landslide victory at the 2024 general election. He will leave the G7 summit on Wednesday and return to the UK ahead of the crunch vote on Thursday.
