Starmer tries to woo Burnham with top cabinet job if he wins Makerfield by-election
Sir Keir Starmer has said he would give Andy Burnham a cabinet post if he wins the Makerfield by-election and said he wants his leadership rival to “play a big role in the Labor government”.
Speaking during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, the prime minister said he would speak to Mr Burnham “after the weekend” after the Makerfield results came in and said there were no circumstances under which he would quit his job.
If the mayor of Greater Manchester wins tomorrow’s election, he is expected to return to Westminster to challenge the prime minister for his job.
But amid growing threats to power, Sir Keir insisted he did not feel “angry” or “angry” over the leadership crisis he faces.
Instead he described Mr Burnham as “a great asset to our party and our movement”.
“I hope he wins the election and plays a big role in the Labor government,” he told reporters in Evian-les-Bains.
“He was a very successful mayor. When I entered politics, his was the team I joined and we worked very closely together.”
Asked by Sky News whether he planned to call Mr Burnham at the weekend and invite him back to his cabinet, Sir Keir said: “I’m sure I’ll talk to Andy after the weekend, of course I will.”
When asked if there was any situation that would require him to step aside, the Prime Minister said: “I do not think there should be a leadership election. I think the last government has proven that parties that spend all their time in leadership elections cannot win the next general election.”
Pressed on the issue, Sir Keir insisted: “I’m not going to walk away. I’m going to fight.” He repeated this sentence when asked for the third time.
He added: “I don’t feel angry, I don’t feel resentful because I remind myself that it is an incredible privilege to be prime minister of the United Kingdom.
“Being here, talking to world leaders about some of the biggest issues of the day, being able to serve your country, grappling with difficult problems.”
It comes after Wes Streeting indicated he was ready to launch the Labor leadership contest as early as next week and called on Sir Keir to set a timetable for Mr Burnham’s departure if he wins the Makerfield by-election.
The former health minister accused the Prime Minister of not listening to the party or his Cabinet in a series of public appearances on Tuesday, while insisting he had the support of the 80 MPs needed to enter the contest.
Mr Streeting said he wanted Sir Keir to reflect over the weekend and decide to leave “on his own terms”.
Multiple opinion polls have suggested Mr Burnham is the favorite to win this week’s by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency.
While his closest rival is Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, Nigel Farage’s political team is worried about losing voters to the Restore Britain party, which positions itself as a tougher party than Reform on immigration and other issues.
