UK PM Keir Starmer meets with leadership contender Andy Burnham, wants ‘orderly transition’
Jill Lawless
London: Newly elected British MP Andy Burnham met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the man he hopes to replace, on Tuesday as he prepares for a leadership contest in which he could be the sole candidate.
Burnham is the strongest candidate to replace Starmer, who announced on Monday that he would resign within weeks after a two-year mandate marred by missteps and errors of judgment that damaged his reputation with his party and the public.
Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who has served as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, won a special election for a seat in parliament last week to challenge Starmer for the leadership of Labor and the country.
Burnham’s chances got a big boost on Monday when former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, widely considered his main rival, announced his support.
Starmer and Burnham met on Tuesday for the first time since last week’s special election. Neither side has released details of the issues discussed. Burnham has also been meeting with Labor MPs as she tries to build momentum for her candidacy.
The UK parliamentary system allows parties in power to change their leaders and therefore their prime ministers without the need for a national election. The next general election is not due to be held until 2029.
Nominations for the Labor Party leadership will open on July 9 and close a week later. If Burnham becomes the sole candidate, she could become prime minister by July 17. If there is a competition, the winner must be ready by the time Parliament returns from its summer recess on September 1.
Starmer said at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that he would try to make the transition to his successor as easy as possible. His office has told ministers he wants an “orderly transition” and wants whoever replaces him to be successful.
He’s also maintaining a busy schedule and trying not to look like a lame duck in his final days in office. But while Starmer wants to continue business as usual, he is not allowed to make major new policy announcements or make spending commitments during his time in office.
The European Union said that the important UK-EU summit planned for July 22 will be postponed due to uncertainty in the UK.
The British government is expected to publish its long-awaited defense investment plan – which led to the resignation of Defense Secretary John Healey on 11 June – ahead of the NATO summit in Türkiye on 7 and 8 July, which Starmer is likely to attend.
Burnham was a popular mayor of Greater Manchester and oversaw a period of rapid regeneration of the city in northern England, the site of the Industrial Revolution. He has vowed to replicate his signature brand of “Manchesterism” on a national scale.
Many Labor members hope Burnham’s people skills and charisma can connect with the public more than the callous, managerial Starmer could.
But Burnham’s policies in many areas are unknown and untested. Some Labor MPs would like to see a party election contest where he would be publicly debated and scrutinised.
Burnham is expected to give a speech next week outlining some of his economic plans.
Former Armed Forces Secretary Al Carns, who resigned this month to protest what he saw as inadequate defense spending, said “we need to have a clear and concise discussion about what this country wants to be.”
He suggested he might run for the leadership but told broadcaster ITV: “I’m not prepared to make a decision on that in any way, shape or form.”
Others have suggested that Darren Jones, a senior Cabinet minister and Starmer ally, should run, but he has not yet commented.
Potential candidates need the support of at least 81 Labor MPs, one-fifth of the party in parliament, to run.
Many argue that the leadership race will only focus attention on the party’s internal divisions and prolong a period of political uncertainty.
Starmer resigned on Monday after a weekend spent contemplating his future, admitting Labor no longer thought “I’m in the best position to take us to the next general election.”
He was the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street and announce his departure. This comes as the UK marks the 10th anniversary of its decision to leave the European Union; This decision still shakes the country’s economy and politics.
Starmer, who insisted for weeks that he would fight to keep his job, bowed to mounting pressure to hand over the government to a new leader who could try to revive its flagging fortunes. He led Labor to a landslide election victory in July 2024, but his and the party’s popularity have since fallen.
Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair aging public services and ease living costs. It has been crippled by repeated missteps, including the decision to appoint Jeffrey Epstein’s scandal-tainted friend Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States.
Labor is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party and faces a rising Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage that has consistently led in nationwide opinion polls.
