Leadership battle will plunge 'country into chaos': Starmer pays tribute to Andy Burnham as PM insists he won't 'walk away''
A defiant Sir Keir insisted he "won't walk away" from Number 10 as he warned a contest would "plunge the country into chaos" amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East
Labour infighting is a distraction from the "serious" work of Government the Prime Minister has said, as he warned a contest would "plunge the country into chaos" after Andy Burnham declared his intention to challenge the PM.
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The Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, who is vying to become the MP for Makerfield in a by-election scheduled for June 18, has declared he would seek to enter any contest to become the next leader of the Labour Party.
Asked by LBC's Natasha Clark if he would be prepared to fight Andy Burnham in a leadership contest, the Prime Minister insisted he was "not going to walk away", and warned a leadership contest would "plunge the country into chaos".
He told Natasha: "Andy's got a lot of talent, of course he has.
"We're fighting hard in Makerfield but I also profoundly believe that to plunge our country into the chaos of a leadership fight ,when as we're talking about this morning, we're facing a war on two fronts."
Read more: Andy Burnham rules out snap general election if he becomes Prime Minister
Read more: Andy Burnham confirms he will challenge Starmer for leadership if he wins Makerfield by-election
Suggesting a leadership contest would prevent the UK from dealing with the "serious issues of our time", he went on: "The Ukraine war is going on, we've got conflict in the Middle East. Both of these have to be resolved...We have to step up on defence and security of our country.
"I have already said we live in the most dangerous and volatile world in our lifetimes and that's why I sincerely and profoundly believe that we should be getting on with the job that we were elected to do in 2024, which is taking the decisions that are priority decisions for our country, not plunging into an internal fight in the Labour Party, which will distract us from the job that we are elected to do."
It comes after the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy threw his weight behind Sir Keir as he faces increasing pressure from influential figures within Labour seeking to replace him following Andy Burnham's announcement of his intention to oust the PM.
Downing Street and key allies of the Prime Minister were quick to react to Mr Burnham's comments, insisting there was currently no such contest.
Read More: Andy Burnham confirms he will challenge Starmer for leadership if he wins Makerfield by-election
Read More: Andy Burnham rules out snap general election if he becomes Prime Minister
On Friday morning, Mr Lammy echoed the same sentiments, telling LBC: “There is no contest at the moment, and my view is it would be a huge distraction at this time.
“The Prime Minister, by the way, has been absolutely clear: if there is a contest, he’ll be in it.”
Asked if he would serve under a potential Burnham premiership, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “I’m not even going to get into that kind of speculation.
“What I do know is that if there were to be a change of leader, of course, you serve at the will of the person who is leading the party.
“That’s always the case, certainly if you’re in their cabinet.
“I’ve supported every leader of the Labour Party. They’ve had my full loyalty.
“Keir Starmer has got my loyalty, full loyalty, until the day he no longer wishes to serve.”
The Greater Manchester mayor – widely viewed as Sir Keir’s main rival – said a “fundamental change” is needed in Westminster to restore the public’s trust in politicians.
Asked about his intentions if he wins the seat, he said: “I’m not somebody who gets ahead of myself. I can’t do anything unless I’m lucky enough to get the support of people here.
“But if I get your support, I would seek to represent you at the highest possible level and give this constituency maximum power and influence.
“I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same.
“So that’s the only question… I’ve said to my team, let’s have a proper look at this and let’s develop a policy.”
Hitting back at Mr Burnham, a No 10 spokesperson said: “With Keir Starmer’s leadership, this Labour Government is supporting people with the cost of living, cutting NHS waiting lists, restoring control of our borders and lifting half a million children out of poverty.
“The country expects us to focus on governing and to deliver change for hard-working people, not get distracted by Westminster debates.
“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and it has not been triggered.
“The Prime Minister will not walk away from the mandate he was given just two years ago to build a stronger, fairer Britain.”
Mr Burnham is one of 14 candidates standing in the Makerfield by-election, which was triggered when Labour’s Josh Simons stood down.
The vote is expected to be a race between Mr Burnham and Reform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon, a plumber and local councillor.
A by-election poll released on Thursday evening showed Mr Burnham with 49 per cent of the vote, ahead of Mr Kenyon on 39 per cent.
The Survation poll, which had a sample size of 518, put Rebecca Shepherd of Restore Britain on eight per cent and Sarah Wakefield of the Green Party on two per cent, with the Lib Dems and Conservatives on one per cent.
