Andy Burnham launches his bid to replace Keir Starmer as UK Prime Minister

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has signalled his intention of taking on Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership of Britain's Labour Party. Photo / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

Former Cabinet minister Andy Burnham has made his opening move to replace British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer within weeks by launching a campaign to return to national politics.

Burnham, who has been Mayor of Greater Manchester since standing down as an MP in 2017, said yesterday that he intended to run in a by-election for the Makerfield seat, near Manchester, after incumbent Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign to make way.

Burnham’s gambit came just hours after Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary, decrying the “vacuum” and lack of “vision” of Starmer’s leadership and demanding that the Prime Minister set a timetable for his departure.

Starmer quickly appointed James Murray, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to replace Streeting as Health Secretary.

The Telegraph understands that Burnham’s candidacy for the Makerfield seat will not be blocked by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), as he was in January when he attempted to return to Parliament in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

However, Reform UK has surged in popularity in the constituency and its leader, Nigel Farage, has pledged to “throw absolutely everything” at the race.

Burnham said he would ask the NEC for permission to run, and made a coded reference to his leadership ambitions, saying that he hoped to “change Labour for the better” and “make it a party you can believe in again”.

He pledged to deploy his own brand of Labour politics and economic recovery, dubbed “Manchesterism”, nationwide.

He said, “There is only so much that can be done from Greater Manchester. Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again. 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.”

Burnham is regarded as the Labour leadership contender most likely to unnerve financial markets. Earlier this year, he said that the UK was too “in hock to the bond markets”, a comment that alarmed investors.

A by-election in Makerfield could be held as early as mid-June, paving the way for a summer leadership challenge against Starmer.

Simons, who served in junior ministerial roles in the Cabinet Office and the Department of Technology, was forced to resign in March over his involvement in an alleged smear campaign against journalists.

However, Burnham’s path to power could be complicated by the success of Reform UK in Makerfield, where it was the runner-up at the last election. It won 50% of the vote in wards there that voted in last week’s local elections, pushing Labour into second place.

Allies of Burnham suggested that he had deliberately chosen a seat threatened by Reform because he hoped to prove he could beat Farage in an election.

Almost 100 MPs, four ex-ministers and Labour’s 11 trade union affiliates have called on Starmer to stand down, but he has insisted he will fight any leadership challenge.

- The Telegraph

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