Andy Burnham confirms he WILL challenge Starmer for No10

Andy Burnham was sensationally handed a route back to Westminster to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for No10 – by an MP who was a minister and major supporter of the PM until just six weeks ago.

Mr Burnham confirmed he wants to contest a by-election in Makerfield in Wigan, after MP Josh Simons, the former tech minister, revealed he would quit so the Greater Manchester mayor could ‘return home’.

Mr Simons, 32, is the former head of Labour Together, a think tank credited with getting Sir Keir into power in Labour, and only entered Parliament in 2024.

And even more astonishingly he was one of Sir Keir’s more loyal ministers until March, when he was was forced to quit after a row over Labour Together spying on journalists.

It is being reported the Prime Minister will not seek to block the move, with an ally telling the BBC: ‘Keir is focused on bringing the party together so it can tackle the issues facing working families.’ 

On the day the Labour psychodrama finally heated up, Sir Keir was forced into a mini-reshuffle prompted by the long awaited resignation of Wes Streeting, appointing former Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray as the new Health Secretary.

Mr Streeting declared he had ‘lost confidence’ in Sir Keir as he repeated his demands for a contest. 

‘It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election,’ he wrote. ‘Where we need vision, we have a vacuum.’ 

 Andy Burnham was looking for an MP willing to step aside so he can return to the Commons

Josh Simons, the former tech minister, said he would stand down in Makerfield in Wigan to allow the Greater Manchester mayor a chance to win it in a by-election

Wes Streeting declared he had ‘lost confidence’ in Keir Starmer as he quit the Cabinet

Later on, Mr Simons took to X to confirm he was standing down so that Mr Burnham can ‘fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for’.

‘For decades, Westminster has overseen the managed decline of towns like mine. We have talked big, then acted small, stuck in a politics of incrementalism that cannot meet the moment,’ he said. 

‘We have lost the trust of those our party was built to serve. It is my unwavering belief that nothing short of urgent, radical, courageous reform will make a difference.

‘That must start with a change in leadership.’ 

Mr Burnham, 56, a former minister under Gordon Brown, later confirmed he wanted to stand in the by-election, saying there was ‘only so much that can be done’ to change the country in his current job.

‘Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again,’ he said.

‘This is why I now seek people’s support to return to Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people.’

But the choice of seat will raise eyebrows, as council seats in the Makerfield constituency swung heavily towards Reform UK in local elections last week in which Labour was savaged in its working-class heartlands. 

Mr Simons won with a majority of 5,399 in the 2024 general election but the most recent figures suggest it was on course to be comfortably won by Nigel Farage’s party in 2029. 

Tonight Mr Farage said: ‘We look forward to the contest and we will absolutely throw everything at it.’ 

Around 50 per cent voted for Reform when eight wards in Makerfield headed to the polls last week. 

According to polling experts Britain Predicts, Reform would take the seat if a general election were held tomorrow, clearing Labour by 13 points. 

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: ‘Last week’s elections shows the country is crying out for a break from the failed status quo.

‘Keir Starmer has been unable and unwilling to break with an economic model that has fuelled the affordability crisis, and this is why we have said he must go.’

Mr Simons’s decision came hours after Mr Streeting quit today and sent Labour’s leadership anarchy gearing up towards a critical moment.

There are differing views on whether Mr Streeting simply fell short of the 81 nominations from Labour MPs necessary to spark a challenge, or has changed tactics. One senior party source said: ‘He’s blown himself up.’ 

He was replaced as Health Secretary by James Murray who previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and is a Starmer loyalist.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson rather optimistically tried to set the political agenda this afternoon, claiming her Cabinet colleague’s resignation marked a chance for Labour to ‘draw a line’ under the leadership debate.

But Mr Streeting’s calls for a ‘broad’ contest with the ‘best possible field of candidates’ were soon answered when Mr Burnham threw his hat into the ring later in the afternoon.  

There has been chatter about Cabinet ministers and potential contenders like Angela Rayner and Mr Burnham lining up behind a September timetable for replacing the PM. 

However, loyalists dismissed such claims as ‘mischief’ because rebels do not have the ‘numbers’ to challenge.

And Sir Keir tonight signalled that he will fight any attempt to oust him.

In a letter thanking Mr Streeting for his service he pointedly added that Labour had to ‘rise to what I see as a battle for the soul of our nation’.

‘As part of that we must deliver on all of the promises we made to the country, including our promise to turn the page on the chaos that was roundly rejected by the British people at the last general election,’ he went on.

The chaos took a dramatic twist this morning as Ms Rayner declared she had been cleared by the taxman.

The former deputy PM announced that she has paid £40,000 to settle her wrangling with HMRC over unpaid stamp duty.

Crucially, she insisted that she had not been made to pay any penalty for deliberately or ‘carelessly’ dodging tax.

One ex-minister pointed out the developments taken together meant there was a Cabinet vacancy, and Ms Rayner was now available to make a return. 

Joking that Sir Keir could stabilise himself by making her Health Secretary, they said: ‘With her vaping and smoking that will go down well.’ 

Keir Starmer, pictured today, has been reduced to pleading with his MPs to step back from the brink of a leadership contest, which he warned would cause ‘chaos’

Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray, pictured, was today appointed as the new Health Secretary

Loyalists have been signalling that Sir Keir will not go quietly, teeing up a Battle Royale for control of Labour that has been panicking markets and driving up UK borrowing costs.

There have been fears the Government faces months of paralysis as the warring factions thrash out who should be in charge – and potentially lurch to the Left in a frantic effort to woo activists.

The timetable of any contest – which would be decided by Labour’s ruling NEC – has emerged as a critical flashpoint. 

Mr Burnham would need nominations to stay open until at least the end of June if he has any hope of participating. 

In his 1,000-word letter, Mr Streeting said he had decided it ‘would be dishonourable and unprincipled’ to continue under Sir Keir’s leadership. 

The outgoing minister praised Sir Keir’s ‘many great strengths’ and ‘courage and statesmanship on the world stage’, but continued: ‘Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift.

‘This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords.

‘You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.’

Mr Streeting had suffered another setback with a poll suggesting he would lose among Labour activists in a head-to-head contest against Sir Keir. 

Some of the 90-plus MPs who have called for Sir Keir to go expressed backing for Mr Streeting today, and his call for a ‘broad contest’.

Jonathan Brash said: ‘The call for a broad contest with the best possible field of candidates is absolutely right from @wesstreeting. The Prime Minister should now do the right thing for the country and set a timetable.’

Fellow backbencher Tony Vaughan said: ‘We’ve got some good policies, but the scale and pace of change is not enough. 

‘That’s been the story of the Government so far. We need public ownership of the water industry, a large-scale social housebuilding programme and energy independence, to give just a few examples.’ 

Although Sir Keir’s overall position remains precarious, even regular critics have been giving grudging respect to the way he has refused to budge.

‘He’s quite a hard b***ard,’ an ex-minister said. ‘Others might have given up.’ 

With her party wracked by civil war, Ms Rayner conducted a series of interviews this morning to stake her own claim.

She also poured cold water on suggestions she had a pact with her friend Mr Burnham, declaring: ‘I am not doing deals’.  

Ms Rayner revealed she has finally handed £40,000 to HMRC for underpaying stamp duty on a seaside flat – but insisted she had not been ‘tax dodging’.

She insisted the authorities cleared her of ‘deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs’. HMRC refused to comment on individual tax cases.

Ms Rayner made clear she is ready to stand in any leadership contest, saying she would ‘play my part’ – but would not strike first herself.

‘I’ve made it clear that I wasn’t going to trigger the Prime Minister – and that I want to see change. I want to see actions, not just words,’ she said.

‘We’re not delivering the change that people voted for and I feel like we’ve made some mistakes that need to be corrected.  

‘I’ve said to Keir this is a really significant moment for our party and the country. The pace of change hasn’t been enough for voters to see, and also mistakes have really blown us off course and made voters doubt us.’ 

Asked if the PM should now resign she said: ‘Keir will have to reflect on that.’ 

Ms Rayner was forced to quit as deputy PM and Housing Secretary last September after a sleaze watchdog found she broke the Ministerial Code when she underpaid about £40,000 of stamp duty on an £800,000 seaside apartment in Hove, East Sussex. 

In an interview with ITV the former deputy Labour leader said ‘people felt that I was tax dodging’ but ‘HMRC have concluded that there wasn’t any wrongdoing on my behalf’. 

She also told The Guardian: ‘I’ll play my part in doing everything we possibly can to deliver the change, because it’s not a personal ambition, I know the difference it makes.

‘Whatever role I can play, I will keep pushing and pushing hard because I want the people out there at the moment who are really struggling… to know that I’m putting all my energy into fighting for them.’

However the MP, a darling of the Labour Left, suggested she would not fire the starting pistol on a leadership race herself.

When asked whether she had struck a deal with the Manchester mayor, Ms Rayner said: ‘No, I’ve said I would not trigger [a coup against] the Prime Minister.’ 

Tax expert Dan Neidle said there was no suggestion of ‘improper’ conduct by Ms Rayner or that she had been given favourable treatment, but it was unclear why she had been let off without a penalty.

‘I have to say at present I don’t know why HMRC accepted Ms Rayner was not “careless”. On the facts as they have been publicly stated, that conclusion seems generous,’ he posted on X. 

Meanwhile, Mr Burnham has pulled out of his regular BBC Radio Manchester slot this morning. 

His spokesman said he had to ‘prioritise discussions arising from last week’s elections’. 

And earlier today in a letter Mr Streeting referred to his brutal face-to-face showdown with the PM in Downing Street yesterday.

As his coup ramped up, the Health Secretary was in No10 for just 16 minutes before emerging grim-faced.

However, even natural supporters of Mr Streeting have concerns that he might only succeed in opening the door for a hard-Left leader.

Backbencher Luke Akehurst said: ‘I would urge Wes not to resign or start a leadership contest. 

‘I think he needs to be part of the cabinet team still, and my big concern is that he might start a contest that a candidate from the Left of the party would win’. 

Sir Keir has been reduced to pleading with his MPs to step back from the brink, warning of cause ‘chaos’ and ‘paralysis’. 

During a series of private meetings in the Commons, he told them: ‘We can’t let a leadership contest plunge us into chaos and a challenge would 100 per cent do that.’

Allies of the PM insist he will stand and fight for his job in what is likely to become a three or even four-way contest for the keys to No10.

Amid deepening panic in the party, MPs are even considering Ed Miliband as they scramble to unite behind a candidate of their own. 

Rachel Reeves hailed official figures indicating the UK economy was resilient in March as the Middle East crisis brewed.

But the Chancellor said: ‘Labour MPs have got an important decision to make today, but the numbers show that the economy is growing and that when we entered this conflict, our economy was growing strongly because of the decisions that I have made as chancellor, we shouldn’t put that at risk.’

One union leader accused Mr Streeting of attempting a ‘coup’ by launching a leadership bid before Mr Burnham is able to stand.

Ms Rayner said she had been ‘exonerated’ by HMRC and could now ‘move on’

MPs on the Left of the party were last night debating whether to back Ms Rayner or Mr Miliband if Mr Burnham is locked out of the race.

Mr Miliband was emerging as favourite despite being rejected by the public at the 2015 election, although his wife Justine Thornton is thought to be against the idea of him running for the leadership again.

Other potential candidates include deputy leader Lucy Powell and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. 

Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones is being encouraged to run as a ‘continuity Starmer’ candidate if the PM falls by the wayside. Former Special Forces officer Al Carns is also considering entering the race.

During the King’s Speech debate yesterday, Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir was ‘in office, but not in power’.

In a blistering performance in the Commons, the Conservative leader warned Britain will be ‘subjected to months of peacocking by leadership candidates while the country is not being governed’.

She added: ‘In the past 48 hours, nearly 100 Labour MPs have called for the Prime Minister to resign. Four ministers have quit. 

‘It is clear that his authority has gone and that he will not be able to deliver what little there is in this King’s Speech. This is a Government less than two years in office who have already run out of ideas and run out of road.’

Pressure has been mounting on Sir Keir since last week’s disastrous local elections, which saw Labour lose 1,500 council seats in England and trail in third place in Scotland and Wales.

Downing Street had thought it had seen off the threat from Mr Streeting after he failed to mount an immediate challenge, but the situation reignited after their abortive summit in No10. 

The PM faced another body blow when Labour-supporting trade unions told him to set out a timetable for his departure, saying it was ‘clear that the Prime Minister will not lead Labour into the next election’. 

In a joint statement, the 11 unions said ‘Labour cannot continue on its current path’ and needs ‘a fundamental change of direction’ to ‘re-orient Labour back to working people’.