Andy Burnham will challenge Keir Starmer within two weeks of returning to Westminster, Cabinet ministers believe.
The Greater Manchester mayor is currently standing as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election in his bid to return to the House of Commons.
If he wins the June 18 contest, Mr Burnham is set to go on and challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership with a view to replacing him as Prime Minister.
Senior Labour figures said they expected Mr Burnham to move ‘extremely quickly’ – perhaps within a fortnight – if he is successful in the Makerfield by-election.
For a leadership contest to be triggered against Sir Keir, a challenger must be nominated by at least 20 per cent of Labour MPs – which currently translates to 81 MPs.
As the sitting Labour leader, Sir Keir would automatically be on the ballot that goes to party members if he chooses to try and fight off a challenge from Mr Burnham or Wes Streeting, the former health secretary who also harbours leadership ambitions.
Allies of the PM have made clear he will enter any potential leadership contest, as they attempt to extinguish suggestions Mr Burnham might enjoy a ‘coronation’ as Labour’s new leader.
Labour MPs backing Sir Keir said it was ‘game on’ with Mr Burnham, as they vowed the PM will ‘fight any challenge’ and ‘has a strong chance of winning’.
Andy Burnham will challenge Keir Starmer within two weeks of returning to Westminster, Cabinet ministers believe
The Greater Manchester mayor (pictured) is currently standing as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election in his bid to return to the House of Commons
Sir Keir himself recently signalled he would fight Mr Burnham to remain as Labour leader, insisting he is ‘not going to walk away’.
The PM also warned against plunging Labour into an internal fight amid the ongoing Middle East crisis and Ukraine war.
Asked on Sunday if he would back his boss in a leadership contest, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told Sky News: ‘I co-chaired Keir Starmer’s campaign to become leader of the Labour Party.
‘He got a mandate from the British people less than two years ago. He is the most resilient person I have ever met in my life.
‘He’s been absolutely clear; were there to be a contest – and you need 81 signatures to launch a contest – he will be part of that contest.
‘I think it’s important that he’s able to serve out his mandate. At the same time, I’ve been up to Makerfield. I’ll be up there again. I’ve known Andy Burnham for 25 years.’
Asked whether he would tell Mr Burnham to focus on doing a good job and to avoid a leadership contest, Mr Lammy replied: ‘Andy Burnham doesn’t need advice from me, we speak pretty regularly. He doesn’t need advice from me. I know him very well.’
One Labour MP backing Sir Keir told The Sun on Sunday: ‘He is not going anywhere, so game on.
‘Andy and Wes are underestimating the mood. There is a lot more support for Keir in the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) than people think.
‘And the British public love an underdog. If they see a man targeted and attacked the mood can change very quickly.
‘And my members do not like the way this leadership talk has played out publicly.’
Another Labour MP said: ‘The PM still has lots of support in Parliament and the party. He’ll fight any challenge.’
A third said: ‘It is right that, after not even two years as PM, Keir Starmer is going to fight any potential leadership contest – and he has a strong chance of winning.
‘Many Labour MPs, activists, and members of the public have made clear how appalled they are by Wes and Andy’s self-interested behaviour in recent weeks.
‘They are only discussing policies nobody voted for, and they can’t seem to add up. Clearly the country deserves better.’
Meanwhile, a Cabinet minister told The i Paper that Mr Burnham would act swiftly if he wins in Makerfield.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he moved extremely quickly, perhaps as soon as a fortnight,’ they said. ‘Provided he wins the by-election, of course.’
Mr Burnham recently promised to cut business rates for pubs and other small businesses – at a cost of £350million – if he replaces Sir Keir as PM.
To fund his plans, the Greater Manchester mayor said he would raise taxes on online tech giants and their warehouses in Britain, while also tackling tax evasion that is harming high streets.
He lashed out at the Government for having ‘got it wrong’ on small businesses in a direct challenge to Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ handling of the economy since they entered Downing Street at the 2024 general election.
Asked on Friday about whether he was prepared to fight Mr Burnham to remain as Labour leader, Sir Keir himself told LBC: ‘I’ve said over and over again I’m not going to walk away. We won an election victory in 2024 with a five-year mandate.
‘We’re only two years into that and so I’m not going to walk away from that. I’m very clear about that.
‘Andy’s got a lot of talent, of course he has. We’re fighting hard in Makerfield.’
Sir Keir also warned against ‘plunging into an internal fight in the Labour Party’ at a time of war in Ukraine and the Middle East.
‘The Ukraine war is going on, we’ve got conflict in the Middle East. Both of these have to be resolved,’ the PM added.
‘We’re playing a leading part in that. We have to step up on defence and security of our country.
‘These are serious issues for our time… we live in the most dangerous and volatile world in our lifetimes.
‘And that’s why I sincerely and profoundly believe that we should be getting on with the job that we were elected to do in 2024.
‘Which is taking the decisions that are priority decisions for our country, not plunging into an internal fight in the Labour Party, which will distract us from the job that we are elected to do.’
