Politics latest: Burnham vows to ‘save’ Labour as Streeting launches leadership bid – UK Times

Andy Burnham is expected to drop his call to reverse Brexit as he faces a crunch by-election that could see him return to Westminster and even potentially enter No 10.

He will, however, still call for close ties between the UK and the European Union, according to reports.

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

Former Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, who was the first minister to resign from Keir Starmer’s government after the elections, said she doesn’t think Labour can have a leadership race without Andy Burnham.

Speaking to the BBC’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast she said: “I don’t think you can have a leadership race without him in because… he commands so much support within the Labour movement.”

She added that his track record in the city “suggests that you can have a vision, you can have a project, and you can execute it in the way that can lift your communities up”.

Andy Burnham believes the UK has been on the “wrong path” for decades.

The Manchester Mayor told ITV News that he will take the fight for ordinary people if he wins the by-election.

He told the broadcaster: “The path that Britain has been on for 40 years, in my view, has been the wrong path,” he said. “It’s taken us to this place where people can’t afford life’s basics, they can’t afford a few pints at the weekend, they can’t afford a holiday.

“And that’s why they’re saying to politicians, do better. This is not good enough. And they’re right to say that.”

He added that the UK needs to take a different approach and to build a new economy.

Wes Streeting warned Labour risks becoming “handmaidens” to Nigel Farage in the next general election in his speech.

He said voters in last week’s election “issued a warning”.

“Never again must we allow a tyranny of silence in the name of party unity to send us on to avoidable defeat,” he says, adding that this is why he has called “for a battle of ideas, not personalities”.

He says Labour arrived in government “underprepared”, which led to the “early catastrophe” of the winter fuel cut.

For the “first time in history”, Labour’s biggest opponent is Reform UK and Nigel Farage, not the Conservative Party, he adds.

Streeting says that “unless we change course”, Labour stand to lose a General Election to Nigel Farage – becoming “handmaidens” to the Reform UK leader “and the breakup of the United Kingdom”.

“Imagine the consequences,” he says.

Wes Streeting confirmed he will be standing, should a Labour leadership contest to replace Sir Keir Starmer be triggered.

“We need a proper contest with the best candidates on the field, and I’ll be standing,” he told reporters at a conference in central London.

Mr Streeting, who this week stood down as health secretary, also insisted he did have enough support among MPs to trigger a contest, but suggested his challenge would “lack legitimacy” without rival Andy Burnham being given a chance to return to Parliament.

He told the Progress think tank conference: “Firstly, I do have support in the parliamentary party, but this week I also had a choice.

“We could have rushed straight into a leadership contest, knowing not all of the candidates would be on the pitch, that Andy Burnham was about to stand in a by-election, and that if we had rushed ahead without giving Andy a chance to stand, the new leader, whether it was me or anyone else, would lack the legitimacy, and so we would end up extending instability and uncertainty.

“That might have been the self-interested thing to do for candidates who are in Parliament presently, but it wasn’t in the party’s interest and wasn’t in the national interest.”

Chairman of the Conservative Party, MP Kevin Hollinrake, responded to Wes Streeting’s speech today where he announced he will be running for Labour leader.

Mr Hollinrake said:“Whilst Labour relitigate Brexit, Britain is not being governed.

“This is yet another distraction from the day job at a time when families and businesses want the Government focused on the cost of living, the economy, public services and Britain’s defence.

“But there is an alternative. Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives have a clear plan in our Alternative King’s Speech to build a Stronger Economy and a Stronger Country.”

Andy Burnham intends to stand to be the next MP for Makerfield, but would its voters welcome the ‘King of the North’? Dan Haygarth finds out…

Andy Burnham says he believes the UK has been “on the wrong path” for the past 40 years.

Speaking to the BBC he said: “It started de-industrialisation, de-regulation of the buses, privatisation of life’s essentials.”

“We need to fix politics, to fix the economy, get the basics back under public control so that people can afford their rent, energy bills.”