Andy Burnham has a plan to return to Westminster “within weeks” in a bid to challenge Sir Keir Starmer, according to reports.
The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester has identified several seats where MPs are prepared to step aside, triggering a by-election which could pave the way for his return to Parliament, The Guardian newspaper said.
The newspaper also reported Mr Burnham’s supporters are attempting to avoid a formal leadership challenge against the Prime Minister, and hope to kickstart a process for him to stand down after what are expected to be disastrous results for Labour in the May 7 elections.
Mr Burnham was earlier this year blocked by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, after the previous MP Andrew Gwynne stood down, citing health reasons.
The NEC said worries about the costs of running a new Manchester mayoral elections and fear that Reform could take the mayoralty were behind the decision to block Mr Burnham.
He is now reported to be lining up an “impressive” candidate to replace him as mayor, who The Guardian said was not a sitting MP.
Mr Burnham, who served as health secretary in Gordon Brown’s government, is also said to be preparing a progressive policy platform for Government.
Constituencies across Merseyside and Greater Manchester are reportedly among those where MPs are prepared to stand aside for Mr Burnham, The Guardian said.
Earlier this week, in an interview with the BBC, Labour MP for Bootle Peter Dowd rejected suggestions he was preparing to make way for Mr Burnham.
Elsewhere, Housing Secretary Steve Reed warned it would be “madness” for Labour to consider ousting Sir Keir.
“Loyalty in politics is a very important commodity,” he told the Times.
Mr Reed added: “If you are fighting each other then you are not fighting the common enemy. The common enemy here is the cost-of-living crisis, the lack of investment coming into our country, the fate of our high streets.
“We are always better as a party when we face outwards… when we turn in on ourselves, we’re basically telling the British public that we’re making ourselves irrelevant.”
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