Andy Burnham announces he will challenge Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party if elected in Makerfield

Andy Burnham has made clear he will seek to challenge Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and enter any future Labour leadership contest.

Speaking during a BBC Question Time event in Makerfield where he is currently running to be an MP, Burnham said he was not taking the result of the by-election for granted but would be willing to stand for leader were he elected to Parliament.

Addressing the Makerfield audience he said: “I’m not somebody who gets ahead of myself. I can’t do anything unless I’m lucky enough to get the support of people here,” he said. “But if I get your support, I would seek to represent you at the highest possible level and give this constituency maximum power and influence.”

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Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting  also announced his intention to run in such a contest last month.

“I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it,” Burnham said.

However, he acknowledged that any bid would require broader support from Labour MPs – 81 of whom would have to nominate him were he to be elected to Parliament later this month. “I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party” he said.

When asked how politicians could restore trust in politics he said that the first step was culture change at Westminster  where “people go to point scoring before they go to problem solving. It’s party first rather than place first.”

Speaking of his time as mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham said: “I pioneered a new politics –  place first, not party first, long term, not short termy problem solving, not point scoring, pro-business, working with the community and voluntary sector, getting  everybody together, unifying people behind a drive to make Greater Manchester what we all want it to be.”

It will be translating this unity message to a national Labour audience that will be Burnham’s pitch to Party members.

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