Starmer 'could step aside and anoint Burnham' to avoid leadership contest chaos
The Prime Minister could opt to stand down and allow a 'coronation' for the Mayor of Greater Manchester as his successor if Mr Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election
Sir Keir Starmer could reportedly stand down as Prime Minister if Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election, allies believe.
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The Telegraph has reported that Sir Keir is privately less defiant than he has been in public after a week of challenges to his authority following last week's dismal local elections results.
The report claims that allied ministers say that "all options" are being considered for his premiership, but that if a resignation were to be considered, it would likely come after the Makerfield by-election currently expected to be held on June 18.
The delay comes amid fears of a succession "free-for-all", it is claimed.
Read More: Andy Burnham’s by-election gamble will decide Labour’s future, writes Natasha Clark
If Burnham clinches the seat, he is understood to have set his sights on becoming Labour leader before the party's conference in the autumn, according to the Guardian.
Starmer fears a damaging leadership contest in which Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary on Thursday, challenges for the keys to Downing Street.
He is understood by the newspaper to privately prefer a Burnham "coronation" if he is to leave office.
The Cabinet minister told The Telegraph on Friday: “I don’t think he’s been defiant at any point. That is not his personality.
“I think he is trying to feel his way through what is the most responsible way forward here for the country and it is all about stability.”
They added: “He is very much an all-options-on-the-table type of person.”
One former adviser to the PM said Mr Burnham was unlikely to accept a Cabinet role from Sir Keir if he were to win the by-election, adding: “He is going in there for one job and one job only.”
Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), announced on Friday that it had permitted the Mayor of Greater Manchester to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming by-election, a party spokesman said.
It comes after Labour MP Josh Simons announced that he would stand down yesterday, and endorsed Mr Burnham's return to Parliament.
The decision by the NEC officially confirms that Burnham can now contest the seat in North West England after days of speculation touting him as a challenger to Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency."
It comes after the former health secretary, Wes Streeting, insisted Labour needs "our best players on the pitch" and "Andy Burnham is one of them" as he backed him to win the Makerfield by-election.
Taking to X, Mr Simons announced that he was standing down so that Mr Burnham can “return to his home, fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for”.
He said: This has not been an easy decision. This is my family’s home, where only a few weeks ago, doctors and nurses at Wigan Infirmary saved our newborn son’s life.
"But we all must make choices and in recent days I found myself with a difficult one: defend the status quo or step forward and act. I have made my choice."
The election could prove expensive, especially as a victory for Mr Burnham would trigger another by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty.
A by-election in Makerfield alone could cost the taxpayer up to £226,000, the most the area’s returning officer can claim from the Treasury to cover the cost of running the poll.
But the cost of a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester would run into the millions, with the 2024 mayoral election costing the taxpayer £4.7 million.
That contest would have to take place within 35 working days, effectively seven weeks, of Mr Burnham becoming an MP.