Burnham inches closer to No 10 after Starmer ally withdraws from race – but only 13% of voters want coronation

Andy Burnham’s hopes of becoming prime minister without a leadership race have been boosted after a key potential rival refused to oppose him – despite a new poll revealing just one in ten Britons are in favor of a coronation.

Cabinet Minister Darren Jones, a key Starmer ally who has been touted in recent days as a potential anti-Burnham leadership candidate, confirmed in a speech on Tuesday that the Makerfield MP will not run after being given “confidence” over his economic plans.

The development means the former mayor of Greater Manchester has so far faced no challengers, with former health secretary Wes Streeting also saying he would back Mr Burnham.

But a new IPSOS poll showed only a minority were in favor of giving Mr Burnham the keys to No 10 without contest.

The poll of 1,131 British voters, taken from Friday to Monday, shows that only 13 per cent are in favor of a coronation, while 39 per cent of people prefer a Labor Party leadership contest.

Mr Jones had been encouraged to run so that Mr Burnham would face a test of his ideas and policies in front of Labor MPs and members.

The decision to exclude himself from the Labor leadership race removes another hurdle in Mr Burnham’s path to Number 10; Several other MPs are being discussed as potential rivals.

Nominations for the Labor Party leadership will open on July 9 and close a week later. If no other candidate can secure the 81 required to enter the ballot for the Labor leadership, Mr Burnham is expected to enter Downing Street by July 18, giving Britain its fifth prime minister in four years.

A recent YouGov poll found that almost half of Britons believe a general election should be held once Sir Keir Starmer’s replacement is confirmed, echoing calls from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Former defense minister Al Carns, who resigned earlier this month over defense spending, remains a possible candidate, telling the BBC on Tuesday he was “pretty serious” about launching a bid but wanted to see what policies Mr Burnham would advocate.

The Makerfield MP is expected to give a speech next week outlining some of his economic plans; Mr Jones said Mr Burnham needed to provide more details for the “100-plus MPs” who were concerned about his plans or were “pretty depressed” about Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation.

The outgoing prime minister has already authorized “access talks” between leadership candidates and the Civil Service; It means Mr Burnham and his team can get government briefings after proving they have the support of 81 Labor MPs.

Discussions are also ongoing over who could serve in Burnham’s cabinet and who could advise the former Manchester mayor behind the scenes.

Senior Labor figures including former transport secretary Louise Haigh, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and former health secretary Wes Streeting have all been tipped for senior roles in a government led by Mr Burnham.