As Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure following the Mandelson scandal and upcoming May elections, an unexpected figure from the north-west may offer a temporary lifeline. Labour MPs have told the Guardian they are urging colleagues not to depose Starmer next month, instead preparing to demand that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham return to parliament to succeed him before the next general election.
Burnham's Growing Support
Burnham, who was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection, is believed to be seeking a path back to the Commons. He has been making efforts to build bridges with the 2024 intake, after being viewed suspiciously by some as aloof. Many Labour MPs now say they are willing to back Starmer in the event of a leadership challenge to allow time for Burnham's return.
“It’s Andy or bust,” one senior centrist MP said. “Nothing else works. Nobody else can win. Anything before he has a path is too soon.” Burnham has let it be known he would seek to return to parliament at the earliest opportunity and has been speaking to more MPs to build alliances. He was spotted meeting former deputy leadership candidate Angela Rayner, herself a potential leadership candidate.
Ministers Urge Patience
A number of ministers are keen to dissuade angry MPs from moving against Starmer too quickly. “There are various plans circulating, none of them good,” one MP said. Backbenchers are preparing to demand that Starmer allow Burnham to return to parliament as a price for their support in any summer leadership race. “This has changed in the last few months – MPs have coalesced around Burnham in a way they hadn’t before,” a source said.
Another added: “It has to be Andy – no other potential leader will win an election. But that has created a stasis where no one wants to move.” A third MP highlighted Burnham’s appeal: “The focus groups around Andy are like actual gold dust. People say things like ‘he cares about people like us’. We cannot act in anger and make things worse.”
Left-Wing Support for Delay
Even Starmer’s most outspoken critics on the left are prepared to keep him in place until Burnham can return. “If there is a coup on 8 May that would be catastrophic,” one leftwing MP said. “We won’t back it, because we need to wait for Andy.” However, some worry about long-term damage. “Never underestimate the power of the rules-based order in the Labour party to ensure we always move too late,” one MP said.
Starmer’s allies emphasise the public reaction to a leadership contest during a potential economic crisis. One senior backbencher said a move against Starmer amid the Iran war would be political suicide. “All those 2024 intake MPs who think appointing a caretaker PM is a brilliant idea should consider how the country will take it. The country and the Tories will demand a general election immediately.”
Referring to potential rivals, they added: “There’s no point crying about Andy Burnham – he’s literally not eligible. Wes [Streeting] is compromised. Angela [Rayner] has HMRC issues. Ed [Miliband] lost us 2015. Everyone hates Shabana [Mahmood]. Who is going to stand?”
Starmer's Defiance
Several MPs expect Starmer to reject demands from his critics after the May elections. “He is prepared to do anything to stay in post,” one minister said. “Sack Wes, sack Ed, whatever it takes. This is not a man who people can come to with a list of demands and expect him to just acquiesce. What power do they actually have?”
