Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he would give Andy Burnham a cabinet job if he wins the Makerfield by-election, saying he wants the leadership rival to “play a big part in the Labour government”.
Speaking on the fringes of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, the prime minister said he would talk to Mr Burnham “after the weekend” once the results from Makerfield are in, as well as saying there are no circumstances under which he would walk away from his job.
If the Greater Manchester mayor wins tomorrow’s vote, it is expected he will return to Westminster to challenge the prime minister for his job.
But amid growing threats to his grip on power, Sir Keir insisted he doesn’t feel “angry” or “bitter” over the leadership crisis he is facing.
Instead, he described Mr Burnham as a “huge asset to our party and our movement”.
“I hope he wins the by election and he’ll play big part in the Labour government”, he told reporters in Evian-les-Bains.
“He’s been a very successful mayor. When I came into politics, his was the team that I joined, and we worked very closely together.”
And asked by Sky News whether he plans to call Mr Burnham at the weekend and invite him back into his Cabinet, Sir Keir said: “I’m sure I’ll talk to Andy after the weekend, of course I will.”
When it was asked whether there are any circumstances in which he would step aside, the PM said: “I don’t think there should be a leadership election. I think that the last government proved that, parties that spend their whole time in leadership elections don’t go on to win the next general election.”
Pressed on the issue, Sir Keir insisted: “I’m not going to walk away. I am going to fight” – a phrase he repeated when asked for a third time.
He added: “I don’t feel angry, I don’t feel bitter, because I remind myself it is an incredible privilege to be the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
“To be here, talking to world leaders about some of the biggest issues of the day, to be able to serve your country, to grapple with the difficult issues.”
It comes after Wes Streeting indicated he is prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest as early as next week, urging Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his departure if Mr Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election.
The former health secretary insisted he has the backing of the 80 MPs required to stand in a contest as he accused the PM of not listening to the party or his Cabinet in a series of public appearances on Tuesday.
Mr Streeting said he wanted Sir Keir to reflect over the weekend and make a decision to leave “on his own terms”.
Mr Burnham is the favourite to win the by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency this week, multiple opinion polls have suggested.
His nearest challenger is Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, though Nigel Farage’s political outfit is worried about losing voters to Restore Britain, a party which positions itself as more hardline than Reform on migration and other issues.
