Burnham backed to be PM by Labour members with Streeting less popular than Starmer

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Mr Burnham, the mayor for Greater Manchester, came out as favourite in the survey, with 47% of Labour members backing him as their first choice in a potential leadership contest.

Polling by YouGov also shows former health secretary Mr Streeting could lack the backing to become leader of the party, with just 4% of Labour members ranking him as their top-choice candidate in a would-be leadership contest.

This makes him the fourth most-popular candidate, behind Angela Rayner in third with 8% and Sir Keir Starmer in second with 31% of Labour members backing him as their preferred candidate. 

On Monday, Sir Keir vowed not to “walk away" from Downing Street and insisted that he will stay to "fight the next election" despite Labour’s thrashing in the local elections and speculation about his future.

Since the disastrous results, Sir Kier has faced growing calls to step down, with nearly 100 Labour MPs telling him to go.

Read more: Starmer vows to back Labour Makerfield by-election choice 100% – whoever they are

Read more: ‘There is no contest’: Lammy insists there is 'no timetable' for Starmer to resign as leadership battle sees EU row reignited

On Thursday, Mr Streeting appeared to get the ball rolling and became the first Cabinet minister to resign, telling Sir Keir it is clear he will not lead Labour into the next election as he teased a potential leadership challenge. 

But nearly six in 10 Labour Party members believe this was a mistake, according to YouGov’s poll.

When asked who would win in a two-horse race between the Prime Minister and his former health secretary, 65% of Labour members opted for Sir Keir, whereas just 15% chose Mr Streeting.

But if Sir Keir were to face off against Mr Burnham, 59% would choose the mayor over the Prime Minister, who was backed by 37% of Labour members in the one-on-one scenario.

In the wide-ranging poll, 28% of Labour members said the party is unlikely to be re-elected if Sir Keir remains in charge, while 74% think the party is likely to win in 2029 if Mr Burnham takes over as leader.

Sir Keir is said to be privately considering whether he will defend his leadership if a contest were launched, despite having publicly vowed to stand against any challengers, LBC understands.

Earlier on Monday, one of his most loyal Cabinet allies insisted he would fight on without setting out a timetable for his departure and urged Labour to “stop the own goals” after a week of internal strife.

In a stark warning to colleagues, the Prime Minister’s deputy, David Lammy, said the ruling party would lose the next general election if the “internecine warfare” of the last 10 days continued.

Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Lammy said he would also be campaigning for the mayor in the Makerfield by-election, which Mr Burnham will need to contest and win to mount a challenge for No 10.

But he added: “Let me be really clear, Keir Starmer remains the most resilient person I know in my life.“I spoke to him twice yesterday. He has a strength of character, a fighting experience. There will be no timetables. What there is is getting on with the business of Government.”

It comes as Mr Burnham is launching a Commons bid in Makerfield after Josh Simons gave up his seat to make up for the Manchester Mayor.

In a campaign video released on Monday, he said Westminster "doesn't work for people in this part of the world and for communities like this across the UK", adding that the Makerfield by-election "is the most consequential of our lives".

The bid is seen as a direct stepping stone towards a tilt for the leadership.