Andy Burnham has refused to rule out challenging Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party.
Facing repeated questions on the issue, the Mayor of Greater Manchester repeatedly deflected and said he was not in a position to rule out a move against the Prime Minister.
With Sir Keir under growing pressure, Mr Burham stressed that he was providing “leadership” in Manchester and that “the country is crying out for a plan for growth that benefits people, reduces the cost of living”.
Children’s minister Josh MacAlister, on the media round for the Govermnent, defended Sir Keir who has vowed to lead Labour into the next general election.
“Look, the Prime Minister is only recently become the Prime Minister. He’s the leader of our party. He secured a historic victory,” he told LBC Radio, with 412 Labour MPs having been elected last July.
But after the coup frenzy in Downing Street last week, Labour MP for York Central Rachael Maskell said: “Ultimately the Prime Minister needs to look in the mirror and say do I have the skills at this particular time in our history to lead the Labour Party?”
She added: “if the Budget doesn’t deliver, not only the maths but the story, then people will be starting to say who is the next leader? We’ve heard rumblings already.”
Meanwhile, a new YouGov poll showed Sir Keir’s net favourability falling to -54, his record low.
Seven in ten Britons (69%) have an unfavourable opinion of Rachel Reeves, up six points since October.
This leaves Ms Reeves with a net favourability rating of -57, her lowest so far, and roughly equal to Kwasi Kwarteng’s worst rating as Chancellor (-56) during Liz Truss’s brief premiership and the disastrous “mini-Budget” in September 2022.
Ahead of the Budget on November 26, where a series of taxes will be raised to plug a shortfall in the public finances of around £20 billion, most Labour voters see Sir Keir and Ms Reeves negatively (52% and 57% respectively)
Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch both have net favourability ratings of -32, largely unchanged from last month
One in five voters see Green party leader Zack Polanski favourably, up three points since mid-October.
Sir Keir has coming under growing pressure in recent weeks, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting accusing No10 insiders of trying to “kneecap” him amid accusations that his allies were already on “manoeuvres” ahead of a possible leadership contest.
On BBC Breakfast, former Cabinet minister Mr Burnham appeared frustrated at being pressed on his leadership ambitions, suggesting this type of question could be part of the problem with the culture in Westminster.
Asked whether he would rule out a challenge to Sir Keir, he said: “I am not going to sit here this morning and rule out what might or might not happen because I don’t know what the future will hold.”
When pressed again on a potential leadership challenge, Mr Burnham said: “I am not in a position this morning to do that.
“The questions you are always asked on these things - how do you answer them?
He added: “All I can do is be here, present in the here and now, and do my job for Greater Manchester.
“The country is crying out for a plan for growth that benefits people, reduces the cost of living.
“We have got more functional in Greater Manchester as the country has got more dysfunctional, and maybe it is that Westminster politics is the problem, and the type of questions you have been putting at me.”
Mr Burnham has also said he “appreciates the support” of Labour MP Clive Lewis, who said he would be willing to give up his Norwich South parliamentary seat to allow him to mount a leadership challenge.
Asked about it on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Burnham said: “I appreciate the support, but I couldn’t have brought forward a plan of the kind that I brought forward today without being fully focused on my role of mayor of Greater Manchester.
“And I’m providing leadership on growth, which is what I think the country needs and is helpful to the Government right now, and we’re doing this in advance of the Budget.
“I hope to really bring to life the growth story for the Government.
“I would just finish by saying this, what I think part of the country’s problem is, the political culture of Westminster, which is playing out in front of us right now.”
