Burnham at centre of row over calling early election after Labour coronation

Andy Burnham has found himself at the center of a growing debate over whether he has the power to become prime minister after his coronation as Labor leader without calling a general election.

MPs from across the party are urging him not to head to the country early, as the Conservatives, SNP, Greens and Reform prepare for a possible election between September this year and May next year.

With the prospect of a leadership race to replace Sir Keir Starmer rapidly diminishing, Mr Burnham is being advised in some quarters that he will not have the mandate for change if he cannot call an election.

Home Secretary Mike Tapp, who opposes replacing Sir Keir, made a public appeal, while one of Mr Burnham’s main supporters warned privately: “If he doesn’t go to the country we will fall prey to the empty 2024 manifesto.”

But figures on the party’s far left, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, have told him he does not need an election to have a mandate for change, with many fearing he could lose their seats to Reform and the Greens.

There is growing speculation that the Makerfield MP may call a general election to capitalize on the surge in support for Labor following his return to frontline politics.

But Mr Burnham’s office dismissed the speculation as he sought to avoid upsetting MPs even though a win would give him five years in office rather than the three he could currently have.

Tensions were further fueled by the interventions of former Prime Minister John Major, who warned that dealing with buses in Manchester was very different to dealing with Trump and Putin, and former deputy prime minister Lord Michael Heseltine, who said Burnham risked becoming an “empty mouth” rather than a genuine candidate for change.

New polling this week found the party is on a significant rise and Mr Burham is almost certain to succeed Sir Keir. Labour’s approval ratings have fallen since its historic general election victory in 2024, but there are hopes that if Mr Burnham becomes prime minister he could draw a line under the chaos of the party’s first two years in office.

But some MPs, some with razor-thin majorities, are imploring him not to take the risk as elections are not due to be held until 2029.

Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson, at the far left of the party, warned, “If he does this, we will be beaten,” while Rachael Maskell said “there is no need for a general election.”

“People vote for a party and a manifesto. They do not change. We are a parliamentary democracy, not a presidential system, so it has never been the voter’s decision who will do which job,” he said. Independent.

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell added: “We don’t have a presidential system and so I don’t think we need an election. Andy Burnham might want to show what he can do for a while before going to voters to ask for their support.”

Another senior MP said: “Absolutely not!” warned, while Burnham’s ally Luke Charters insisted: “Not in the cards.”

A third Labor MP with a slim majority called it a “terrible idea”, while a party source added: “We’ve only been through two years of turmoil, I don’t think the public would appreciate a general election now. It would waste more time and energy rather than trying to fix the country.”

It comes after a poll showed Labor gaining six points after Sir Keir announced he would step down as party leader and prime minister with the prospect of a “coronation” for Mr Burnham.

Find Now The poll, which is generally strongest for Reform, shows Labor just three points behind Nigel Farage’s party.

In the survey conducted with 2,140 adults on 24 and 25 June, the Labor Party’s votes increased by 6 points to 21 percent, the Reform votes from 3 percent to 24 percent, the Greens’ votes from 2 to 15 percent and the Conservative Party’s votes from 1 to 18 percent.

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll shows Mr Burnham ahead of other party leaders in the pick for best prime minister. The closest is Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, whom she beats by a margin of 4 per cent, but almost double Nigel Farage’s rating of 43 per cent to 23 per cent.

But the last available MRP poll of its kind, conducted in January, showed Labor would fall to sixth place and see its worst result in more than 100 years if a general election were to be held.

The survey, a constituency-level survey of more than 5,500 people, predicted that Reform would double its vote share from the last general election to 31 per cent, and its Commons majority would increase from the current six MPs to 335.

Labor MPs in rural areas and those with high Muslim populations are at risk of losing their seats due to the party’s decision to impose an inheritance tax on agricultural property and its stance on the war on Gaza.

Last week a spokesman for Mr Burnham said he was “not considering a snap election”, but an ally of the Makerfield MP, who admitted they could lose their seats, said he “would be foolish not to consider” a snap election.

Although the party risks losing seats if a general election is held soon, there is some suggestion that an election during Mr Burnham’s honeymoon period could be less damaging to the party than an election in three years if the economy fails to recover.

The Burnham ally said: “I guess if Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister and he’s on the rise, finding himself five points ahead of the Reform party in disarray, then why not consider going early?”

They added: “There are greater risks here than knowing whether 50, 60, 70, perhaps 100 Labor MPs will be sitting in parliament for the next two or three years.”

“It’s going to be about making sure you have a democratic mandate. The political responsibility that comes with being leader-in-waiting and then being prime minister is not there for him and he needs a mandate, especially if he wants to establish himself and make some pretty dramatic changes to the constitution and the economy, which, let’s be honest, Labor certainly doesn’t allow for, no matter how vague its 2024 manifesto is.”

Another Labor supporter said: “If he gets a good lead in the early polls I think he should do it. Not for any moral reasons, just to take advantage of his honeymoon.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Labor MPs fear an early election could destroy them. “We have to wait,” one said, while another added: “That would be too big a risk.”

Independent Reform understands UK leader Nigel Farage has told his party to be ready for a general election in May 2027.

And an SNP candidate and a Tory MP added that they had started fundraising for the autumn election.

Meanwhile, a senior Tory source pointed out that Mr Burnham had re-elected all of the party’s MPs with the expectation that the election would be held from September this year until May 2027 at the latest.

A source said: “If he’s brave he’ll do it because Reform isn’t ready, the Conservatives are a long way from reviving their brand and he could use the rise in the polls to win.”