Starmer rebuffs renewed talk of Andy Burnham leadership challenge | Politics

Keir Starmer has sought to quell recent speculation about his leadership, arguing that one of his potential rivals, Andy Burnham, has “done a really good job as mayor of Manchester” and warning colleagues not to waste their time briefing against each other.

The Prime Minister backed Burnham on Thursday night as he heads to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, after the Greater Manchester mayor refused to challenge Starmer for the leadership of his party during interviews on Thursday.

Burnham’s comments reignited speculation about the prime minister’s future as his party remains weak in the polls and is days away from a tax hike budget that will determine the remainder of his term.

Starmer said: “Andy is doing a really good job as mayor of Manchester and we work very closely together.”

He added: “We were in Manchester together just two days after the Labor Party conference, following the horrific attack on the synagogue there. I spoke to Andy as soon as I heard about the attack when I was in Denmark. It was one of the first calls I made to get an assessment on the ground. I spoke to him the next day, then went up and met him and went through the briefings.”

“He’s doing a really good job as mayor of Manchester.”

Starmer called on colleagues not to brief against him or others in the party after his own allies fueled leadership speculation by telling reporters they believed health secretary Wes Streeting was planning a coup attempt.

“We have to focus on what’s important to the country, and what’s paramount to the country is the cost of living, and that’s where my focus is,” he said. “Every minute we don’t focus on this is a minute wasted in government.”

The Prime Minister was speaking on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa, where he will announce a series of trade deals and attempt to rally international support for Ukraine.

But most of his government’s attention is focused on domestic issues; The chancellor is finalizing a potentially contentious budget and potential leadership candidates are jockeying for the position.

Burnham reopened talk about her leadership ambitions this week as she refused to rule out challenging Starmer in the future.

The mayor of Manchester has kept a relatively low profile since this year’s Labor Party conference, where he stood out for criticizing the direction of Starmer’s government.

Burnham was repeatedly asked about his plans during a series of interviews to announce a new £1bn growth plan for Greater Manchester, but only said he didn’t know what the future would bring.

“I did not initiate any leadership challenge.” He told BBC Breakfast. “I’m not going to sit here this morning and ignore things that may or may not happen in the future; I don’t know what the future holds.”

His comments came after Norwich South Labor MP Clive Lewis said he would stand down if he wanted to challenge Burnham’s seat. But if Burnham seeks a parliamentary seat it is expected to be in the north-west.

Meanwhile, Starmer insisted journalists should be treated with respect after US President Donald Trump told a female reporter: “Be quiet, piggy.”

The Prime Minister said he had been made aware of the comments and did not wish to comment directly on them.

But he added: “My approach is that I will always be respectful to journalists, no matter what they ask me. It’s really important in our democracy to maintain that principle of respect for journalists who are doing really important work, particularly in the UK.”