Starmer latest: PM will let Burnham fight by-election despite leadership threat

Sir Keir Starmer will not try to block Andy Burnham from becoming the Labour candidate in Makerfield, it’s been reported, after the Greater Manchester mayor confirmed he would seek permission from Labour ’s NEC to stand. No 10 indicated to Labour MPs that it will not seek to block Mr Burnham, who wants to stand in the seat that Josh Simons is giving up to allow him to return to Parliament and to challenge Sir Keir Starmer . Earlier, Wes Streeting dramatically quit as health secretary, and is now widely expected to mount a leadership challenge. In a scathing resignation letter to Sir Keir , he said he had lost confidence in the prime minister ’s leadership and accused the PM of creating a vacuum where the country needed a vision. But Sir Keir has vowed to fight on, Downing Street has said. Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden, one of Sir Keir's closest allies, said he was determined to stay on in No10 and had a “deep sense of duty to the country”. Angela Rayner also did not rule out running in a Labour leadership race. In his resignation letter, Mr Streeting blamed the “unprecedented” election results in part on “the unpopularity of this Government”, adding: “There are many reasons we could point to: from individual mistakes on policy like the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance to the ‘island of strangers’ speech, all of which have left the country not knowing who we are or what we really stand for.” But a year ago, he defended cutting the winter fuel allowance, arguing the money saved had been invested in the NHS and in improving schools. Scottish Labour has not ruled out letting Andy Burnham run to become an MP in Scotland in order to oust Sir Keir Starmer. Asked whether the Greater Manchester mayor could run in a by-election north of the border, Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader and a member of the NEC, said: “You’ll just need to wait until after the NEC meeting on Tuesday.” Luke Charters, MP for York Outer, has thrown his support behind Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and has said that he must not be blocked from standing for election in Makerfield after Josh Simons stepped down. “Josh is an MP and a dad to young kids, just like me,” Mr Charters wrote in a post on X on Thursday. “He's helped to prove that parenthood and politics can mix, and break down barriers for working dads. I wish him the very best. “We are in a battle for the heart and soul of this country against right-wing populism. So this by-election is one we absolutely must go on to win. “As a proud Northerner, I want somebody to run who can stand up and fight for our progressive values against Reform in Makerfield. “Andy Burnham must therefore be given the opportunity to stand, and must not be blocked, so that we can come together to send Reform packing.” This depends heavily on the movements of the prime minister’s wider Cabinet. Sir Keir dug in on Tuesday amid mounting calls from Labour MPs for his resignation, telling his senior ministers there is a formal process for challenging a Labour leader that had not been triggered. This is true, but without the confidence of his Cabinet, it would be all but impossible for him to continue to govern. When Boris Johnson’s authority collapsed in 2022, he sought to cling on to power by replacing senior ministers after they had quit with loyalist MPs. But it was a matter of days after the first Cabinet minister stood down that he was forced to announce his resignation as Tory leader outside No 10.