Al Carns backs Andy Burnham for PM, paving Makerfield MP's path to Downing Street

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Carns told Sky News he would not be running to become the Labour Party's leader, and therefore Britain's next Prime Minister, leaving the door of No 10 wide open for Makerfield MP Andy Burnham.

The former minister had previously refused to rule out running against Burnham until he heard more about his economic plan.

His decision means Burnham is the only candidate left in the running for the leadership.

Nominations due to open tomorrow and if no other candidate enters the contest, Burnham will become Labour leader next Friday and take over as PM the following Monday (20 July)

The minister had previously been hesitant to throw his support behind Burnham and was vocal about the issues he wanted a prospective leader to prioritise, including defence spending, GDP, youth unemployment, and energy supply.

The former Starmer ally quit his post earlier this month after a row over the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which he and the ex-defence secretary John Healey blasted as leaving Britain vulnerable.

In a social media post last month he set out five 'tests' for any incoming leader.

Those tests are:

• Spending 3% of GDP on defence as “the floor, not the ceiling”
• Fixing the crisis of youth unemployment
• Setting a target to add a trillion pounds to UK GDP within the next decade
• Setting a handful of targets across the public sector, such as on health and re-offending and attempting to improve outcomes by 10%
• Improving energy infrastructure, including sourcing domestic energy supply from the North Sea.

In the post, Mr Carns concluded: “None of this is complicated. It’s the oldest deal there is. You serve the country, the country stands by you. In uniform, in a hospital, in a classroom, on a building site.

"Right now, that deal is broken, and everyone keeping our country going can feel it.

“That broken deal is the real reason for the frustration out there. It’s why trust has drained out of politics. And it’s why our party that won a landslide is, halfway through the term, already arguing about who leads it.

“But changing the person at the top fixes nothing if we don’t fix the deal underneath. Swap one leader for another and leave the deal broken, and we’ll be right back here in 18 months, asking the same question all over again.

“So I’m not interested in who gets what job. I’m interested in whether we’ve got the courage to pass these tests. We’ve been promised a debate. This is my opening offer to it. And if that debate ever becomes a contest, it should be fought on this ground, not on personalities. I know where I stand.”

His decision comes after it was revealed that Brits want to see a Labour leadership contest rather than a coronation for Andy Burnham.

Fresh data from Ipsos shows that nearly four in ten (39 per cent) want a contest, compared to 13 per cent who want to see him take over without a contest.

But the poll shows Brits are more optimistic about him being a good prime minister, with 35 per cent thinking he would do a good job, and 24 per cent who say he’d do badly.

And out of a list of UK politicians, including Green Party boss Zack Polanski, Lib Dem boss Sir Ed Davey, and former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the new Makerfield MP tops the list among the public for who would do the best job.

The former Manchester Mayor is currently the only candidate who has said they will run for the leadership, with many Labour MPs, including Mr Streeting, rowing in behind him.

Mr Burnham is now attempting to thrash out his plan for the nation, appointing key players to his top team and working out his major priorities for high office.

Darren Jones, the PM’s chief secretary, had considered running himself but has now said he won’t.