Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he wants to lead Labour into the next general election as potential challenger Andy Burnham vowed to “change” the party if he is successful in his effort to return to Parliament.
The Prime Minister on Monday said he would not set out a timetable to leave No 10 if the Mayor of Greater Manchester wins the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
It comes amid calls from within the party for Sir Keir to set out a schedule for his exit.
Mr Burnham hopes to be Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which could provide him with a route back to the Commons to challenge for the party leadership and the keys to Downing Street.
Sir Keir, speaking to broadcasters in London, was asked whether he would set out a timetable to stand down if his rival returns to Westminster.
“I’m not going to do that,” the Prime Minister said.
He added: “I do want to fight the next election. Obviously, I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around and making sure that my focus is in the right place.
“The last 10 days, there’s been a lot of activity, which hasn’t been as focused in my view as it should have been, and I remind myself every day that I was elected to office to serve the people, to serve the country, that’s what I believe in, and that’s what I’ll be getting on with.”
Asked if he would fight a leadership contest if a rival had the 81 MPs needed to launch a challenge, he said: “We’re not at that position… but I’ve said, I don’t know how many times, that I’m not going to walk away.”
Mr Burnham said the Labour Party offer to voters had “simply not been good enough”.
In a speech at a northern investment summit in Leeds, he said: “I’m clear about what I am offering. If I get to stand, a vote for me will be a vote to change Labour, because Labour needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust.
“It will be a vote to make life more affordable again, a vote to power up places, a vote to reindustrialise.”
He promised a “new path which brings the country back together”, adding: “I know what my party has offered in the past has simply not been good enough.”
