Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has stated that it is a "personal decision" for Sir Keir Starmer whether he wishes to contest a Labour leadership challenge, as potential rivals begin to position themselves against the Prime Minister.
Nandy's remarks on Starmer's future
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Nandy appeared to deviate from the official government line that Sir Keir will continue to fight. She said: "It's a very personal decision for him. I haven't spoken to him this weekend, but I've spoken to him several times over the last week, and obviously he's shown before that he's up for a fight."
Ms Nandy highlighted Sir Keir's victory in the 2020 Labour leadership election and his success in the 2024 general election, adding: "So I wouldn't write off the Prime Minister, but I would just say that this is a very personal decision. He's got to make that decision himself."
In a separate interview on Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the Culture Secretary reiterated: "The Prime Minister, of course, has to make his own decision about whether he wants to take that next fight forwards."
Criticism of leadership speculation
Ms Nandy also criticised what she described as "froth and nonsense" surrounding the talk of a challenge to Sir Keir. She had strong words for former health secretary Wes Streeting, who on Saturday expressed his desire for a "new special relationship" with the European Union and eventual re-entry into the trade bloc.
The senior minister told Sky News: "If rejoining the EU is the answer, then essentially what we're saying to people is 'life was fine in 2015, we just need to go back there'. I know Wes is coming up to campaign in the by-election quite soon. He will hear loud and clear from people in places like Wigan, Ashton, Winstanley, across Makerfield, that that is absolutely not the case. And the answer has to be bigger."
While Ms Nandy insisted she backed Sir Keir, she also suggested an affinity for Andy Burnham over Mr Streeting, telling Sky News that the Greater Manchester mayor is "squarely focused" on issues such as the cost of living and transport, adding this is "exactly where we need to be".
Labour's European debate and by-election dynamics
The jostling over Labour's future direction on Europe comes as the party debates how to recover from its bruising election defeats last week. Speaking at the Progress think tank's conference in central London on Saturday, Mr Streeting described Brexit as a "catastrophic mistake" and broke the ice on a topic Labour has long avoided revisiting. "We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain's future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union," he said.
This policy offer could be seen as a direct challenge to Mr Burnham, who has previously expressed support for rejoining the EU but may wish to avoid directly addressing the issue as he bids to become Labour's candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election. The constituency, on the edge of Greater Manchester, was a Brexit-voting area in the 2016 referendum.
Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage was among the most prominent supporters of leaving the EU, won every council ward in the Makerfield constituency in last week's local elections, securing around half the vote, while Labour won only a little more than a quarter. Mr Burnham told ITV News there was a "long-term case" for advocating to rejoin the EU but insisted he was not campaigning on that issue in the upcoming by-election, his potential route back to Parliament.
Labour MP Josh Simons, who announced on Thursday that he would give up the Makerfield seat to make way for Mr Burnham, said the party should "come together" to back him. He also denied reports he decided to give up his seat for Mr Burnham a year ago, telling the BBC he made the decision "two days ago" after discussing it with his wife.
