Labour MP becomes first to break ranks and call for Keir Starmer to be replaced by Andy Burnham as Prime Minister

Labour’s Clive Lewis became the first MP to call for Andy Burnham to replace Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Speaking to Channel 4 on Friday night, Mr Lewis said Labor should put ‘country before party’ and sack Starmer in favor of the current Manchester Mayor.

The Norwich South MP broke away from the rest of his party for the first time in September when he called on the Prime Minister to step down.

But last night he became the first person to actively support leadership rival Mr Burnham in a week when a briefing to journalists left the Prime Minister in a precarious position ahead of this month’s Budget.

Mr Clive said: ‘We must do what the Prime Minister once said, putting country before party. And frankly, party before personal ambitions.

‘I don’t see how this can continue without any solution on the horizon.

‘And I think the Labor Party, the Labor dignitaries, the men in the gray suits are now thinking really seriously about: how can we bring Andy Burnham back into parliamentary Labor and allow him to step in and become the next Prime Minister?

‘This is my personal opinion. I know it won’t be shared by everyone, but I don’t see any other option.’

Mr Burnham had previously been accused of running for the top job in the days ahead of the Labor Party Conference in early autumn.

Andy Burnham did not comment on Mr Lewis’ remarks.

It comes after Mr Lewis first called out Starmer on September 12, the day after former US ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson was sacked over his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

He told the BBC’s The Week In Westminster program at the time: ‘You see a Labor Prime Minister who feels he is losing control in the first year.

‘This is not navel gazing. I think about my voters, about this country, and that the man who is eight points ahead of us is Nigel Farage. This scares me. This scares my constituents, and it scares a lot of people in this country.

‘I’m sorry, but we can’t afford to continue like this with someone who I feel is increasingly unfit for the job.’

Mr Lewis strengthened his position as a thorn in the side of the government with his comments yesterday, which came at a particularly difficult time for Starmer following his ‘toxic’ briefing to journalists.

In what appeared to be an effort to help strengthen the Prime Minister’s position, No 10 told reporters he would respond strongly to any attempt to oust him and criticized cabinet ministers, including Health Minister Wes Streeting, for allegedly moving to challenge the leadership.

But it completely backfired as the briefing made front pages in the British media, instead giving the impression that Starmer had no control over Downing Street staff.

Speaking to Channel 4 on Friday night, Mr Lewis said Labor should put ‘country before party’ and sack Starmer (pictured)

Starmer claimed he had not authorized any briefings and many MPs were quick to point the finger at his unpopular chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.

The Prime Minister cleared Mr McSweeney of involvement but that did not stop disgruntled MPs clamoring for the chief of staff to leave.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Streeting denied any plot to oust the party leader and accused those behind the anonymous briefing of ‘watching too many Famous Traitors’.

The Prime Minister has since called Mr Streeting to apologize, it is understood.

The controversy has left Starmer once again facing speculation about whether he will contest the next election as Labor Leader; The emergence of Mr. Burnham’s name is likely to be another blow.

Mr Burnham has previously been accused of running for the top job in the days ahead of the Labor Party Conference in early autumn.

The mayor of Manchester, who twice failed to be elected leader of the party while he was an MP, accused Sir Keir of having led Labor into a mood of “alienation and demoralization” since entering Number 10.

He said he had been approached by MPs who wanted him to mount a leadership challenge and outlined his own tax and spending manifesto, which included borrowing £40bn to fund nationalization of housebuilding.

This sparked a huge backlash from ministers who stated that the Manchester mayoral term will last until 2028.

As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham is not an MP.