Andy Burnham eyes snap election and sweeping Cabinet reshuffle if he reaches No 10
Sources say Mr Burnham's allies are "wargaming" the prospect of an early vote if he unseats Sir Keir Starmer, but Labour MPs, fearing for their own seats, want it ruled out "in blood"
Andy Burnham is considering holding a snap general election if he becomes Prime Minister, according to Labour sources.
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The Greater Manchester Mayor is the narrow favourite to win next month's by-election in Makerfield, which would return him to Westminster.
He is then expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and the position of Prime Minister.
Some of his supporters believe he should take advantage of Labour’s expected success in the poll and call for an early election.
But others warn that many Labour MPs will not support this as they may lose their seats – even if the party gets a majority.
Labour insiders believe that if Mr Burnham "wargames" an early vote, it would enable him to enact radical policies in Number 10.
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“Andy considering an early general election. They are wargaming it,“ a senior Labour source told The Sun.
"But Labour MPs would absolutely hate it. They are worried about losing their seats".
"If Andy becomes PM, I expect he will have to promise the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) that he will not call a snap election".
“They will want him to sign the pledge in blood.”
Mr Burnham and his team have started drawing up plans for his first months as Prime Minister, The Sun reports.
He is expected to carry out a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle, with Shabana Mahmood, the current Home Secretary, expected to be made Chancellor.
It's believed talks between Ms Shabana’s team and Mr Burnham had been going on for a while.
Lucy Powell and Angela Rayner are also expected to be brought back into the Cabinet.
“Shabana is meant to have done a deal with Andy to be his Chancellor," a senior party source said.
"That is why she let it be known she had told Keir to go. She was manoeuvring to get a big job," they added.
But a source close to Ms Mahmood said: “Nonsense. There are no deals being made.“
"Shabana is entirely focused on her job as Home Secretary”.
Insiders also say that Josh Simons is expecting to get a "big policy job, but the Labour MP who stepped down from his Makerfield seat so that Mr Burnham could run for it is more likely to be put in the House of Lords.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has reportedly been contacted to see if another King’s Speech could be held this year, necessary for a new Prime Minister to bring in different Bills and policies.
Mr Burnham’s team denied the reports when approached by LBC for comment.