Prime Minister Andy Burnham?
Greater Manchester’s popular Labour mayor announced yesterday that he intends to stand in a by-election in the hopes of bagging a seat in Parliament.
The by-election was set in motion after the Labour MP for Makerfield, Josh Simons, announced he would stand down to make way for Burnham, now a popular choice for PM as pressure mounts on Starmer to step down.
Keir Starmer won’t block the so-called King of the North from becoming Labour’s candidate – but Burnham does need permission from the party’s governing body, the National Executive Committee.
If elected as an MP, Burnham could have a clear route to become Labour’s next leader, heaping yet more pressure on the current PM on the same day his health secretary and possible leadership rival, Wes Streeting, resigned.