Burnham vows ‘new path for Britain’ as Starmer warns leadership challenge will ‘tear Labour apart’ – latest

Sir Ed Davey said the Makerfield by-election showed “Reform is beatable” and accused Labor of embarking on a “fight for the keys to No 10” while people are struggling.

The Liberal Democrat leader said: “Yesterday’s result shows that Reform can be defeated, just as the Liberal Democrats did in local elections across the country.

“But while Labor is fighting for the keys to No 10, people are fighting too.

“We need real change, not more chaos, by starting a new agreement with Europe,” he said.

We’ve all seen politicians say they plan to do one thing and end up being unable or unwilling to carry it out; So it remains to be seen whether Mr Burnham, in No 10, can replicate the success he enjoyed as mayor of Manchester.

But based on what you said earlier about the economy, Independent It takes a look at how your pocketbook might be affected if there is a change in leadership.

Read the full article here:

One of Wes Streeting’s closest allies says he has the support he needs to take part in the leadership race.

Labor MP Melanie Ward said all key players, including Andy Burnham, should speak to each other over the weekend to decide on an orderly transfer of power.

Speaking to Vicki Young on Politics Live, he says: “There comes a time in the life of the captain of any team… when the captain has to pass on the armband; there comes a time when the captain loses the dressing room.”

Ward also said Mr Streeting was “prepared to talk to other key players and find a different way of going about this”.

I’ve known Andy Burnham for a long time. Exactly two years ago, I found myself and a film crew standing with him on the hallowed lawns of Wigan Warriors’ home ground; I wasn’t just talking about politics, but family, football, ambition and what drives someone to pursue a profession that can be as brutal as politics.

During this conversation I managed to persuade him to take part in an all-night general election special I was presenting on Sky News; This took a lot more strain than I initially expected.

While two locals were discussing the prospect of staying up all night, I think I probably made a joke about Wigan Casino and said that the television version would be much less entertaining, but there would be Percy Pigs when we needed sugar in the middle of the night. He broke the agreement.

Read former Sky News broadcaster Kay Burley’s full analysis here:

The prime minister should set his own timetable for leaving Downing Street, a Labor supporter has said after Andy Burnham’s victory at Makerfield.

Jon Trickett of Normanton and Hemsworth said: “The voice of the north has been heard.

“Andy Burnham’s victory at Makerfield is a victory for the entire Labor movement, which is waging a properly organized campaign to defeat the toxic anti-working class policies of the far right.

“After the elections it is clear that Farage and his far-right followers can be defeated.

“However, there can be no more confusion.

“Keir Starmer must immediately set out a timetable for his departure as leader as he is an obstacle to defeating Farage at the next general election.”

Keir Starmer made a phone call to Labor Party staff across the country this lunchtime, thanking them for their work in the Makerfield byelection.

The Prime Minister said the party must “get its act together”, “fight” for Reform and “cover them” in the Greater Manchester Mayoral contest.

“Let’s unite as a party and a movement. The only thing we should not do is to turn our party and our country into chaos by turning against each other and tearing our party and movement apart. This has never worked. This is what the last government did. We need to learn this lesson.”

As Andy Burnham looks set to challenge Sir Keir Starmer, he has focused on immigration, the cost of living and re-industrialisation when setting his policy priorities.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester said he had repeatedly heard voters voice concerns about the “injustice of the immigration system” during the campaign.

He hit out at the Home Office over areas that had become “HMO Britain”, referring to the practice of housing asylum seekers in multi-occupation homes (HMOs).

He said: “These are the kinds of changes we need if we want to give hope to young people growing up in this part of the world.

“It’s a change from the Home Office too. I’ve heard from the doorstep of many people’s concerns about the unfairness of the immigration system, the mark-down approach to supply and the likes that mean areas could end up like HMO Britain.

“It’s not fair that they think they can operate this way and not hear the call of the people here, the decent people here, the people who will always do the right thing, the compassionate thing, but it’s not fair in terms of the way places like this are treated.”

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned the government against a “summer of speculation and drift” ahead of an expected leadership fight.

Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the influential business group, said: “The UK cannot afford a summer of speculation and drift while politicians are distracted by intra-party dynamics.

“The government needs to focus on delivery and implementation.

“For strong and stable economic growth you need a strong, stable and coherent government.

“Political uncertainty reduces business confidence and investment, affecting job creation, wages and the cost of living.”

He added: “Businesses need to know that the government can make big decisions, deliver on its commitments and be prepared to cover the rising costs of doing business.”