Burnham expected to drop call to reverse Brexit as poll shows voters divided on PM prospects

Andy Burnham is expected to drop his call to reverse Brexit as he faces a tough by-election that could see him return to Westminster and potentially even finish in 10th place.

However, according to reports, he will still call for close relations between the UK and the European Union.

The man who could become Britain’s next prime minister must first win the seat of Makerfield, which voted to leave the EU in 2016.

If Mr Burnham wins the seat, he will face a challenge from former health secretary Wes Streeting, who has confirmed he will stand to replace Sir Keir Starmer if a Labor leadership contest is triggered.

But a new poll shows voters are divided over the so-called “King in the North” and whether he looks like a Prime Minister-in-waiting.

Mr Burnham, who is pro-EU, told the Labor Party conference last year that he wanted Britain to rejoin the bloc.

“I hope this happens in my lifetime,” he told delegates. “I believe in unions of all kinds. The Union of the United Kingdom. The European Union and the benefits it brings to this country. Unions? People are more prosperous when they are part of unions. That is my belief and I will say it openly.”

However, the Greater Manchester mayor has reportedly been told allies he will not “put Europe first” in his speech to voters and the country.

Another ally said: I am Newspaper: “Of course he will want to talk about a closer relationship with Europe, but he won’t start talking about rejoining the EU.”

Reform is expected to leave no stone unturned to win the by-election, a move that risks plunging Labor into chaos.

Earlier this week, Josh Simons, the Labor MP for Makerfield, announced he was resigning from his seat specifically to make way for Mr Burnham.

He said it was a “tough decision” but that if the mayor wins, he is someone who can “bring about the change the country is crying out for.”

But if he has any chance of challenging the Labor leadership, he must win the seat first.

A new poll by YouGov found 31 per cent believe the mayor now looks like a prime minister-in-waiting; but nearly the same number, 27 percent, think not. And more than two in five, 42 percent, are not sure they have what it takes.

But things are better in his political backyard in the North; the figures are 38 percent versus 27 percent.