Andy Burnham moved closer on Wednesday to becoming Britain’s next prime minister without a contest after Cabinet minister Darren Jones, seen as a possible rival, said he would not enter the race. Burnham, who returned to Parliament last week with the stated aim of challenging Keir Starmer, currently has no challenger for the Labour leadership.
Starmer, who announced on Monday that he would resign, faced Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament before leaving for Berlin for talks with European allies on Ukraine and the Middle East. He is expected to leave office within weeks once the governing Labour Party chooses a new leader.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch attacked Starmer and his government, listing what she said were its failures. She said Labour had betrayed and abandoned Starmer for Burnham, whom she mocked as just “a pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt”.
Starmer defended his time in office and said he was proud of his record, arguing that he had worked to reverse years of austerity under the Conservatives. “The test for every prime minister is handing over this country in better shape than you found it,” he said. “I know I can do that.”
Jones, an ally of Starmer, had been encouraged to stand so that Burnham would have to defend his ideas and policies before Labour lawmakers and members. But Jones told Sky News that running for the leadership is “not something that I’m going to do”.
He also warned Burnham against moving too far to the left on economic policy, reflecting concerns in parts of the business and financial sectors. Burnham is expected to appoint a new Treasury chief to replace Starmer appointee Rachel Reeves, and Jones said it must be someone “that can reassure the markets, reassure the trade unions and reassure the parliamentary Labour Party, and by extension the public”. Burnham is expected to make a speech next week setting out some of his economic plans.
Starmer is stepping down after two years in office marked by missteps and errors of judgement that weakened his standing with both his party and the public. Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who has served as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, won a special election last week to enter Parliament and launch his challenge for the Labour leadership and the country’s top office. Former health secretary Wes Streeting, once seen as Burnham’s main rival, has said he will support him.
Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on July 9 and close a week later. If Burnham is the only candidate, he could become prime minister by July 17. If there is a contest, the winner is expected to be in place by the time Parliament returns after its summer break on September 1.
Starmer told his Cabinet on Tuesday that he would try to ensure an “orderly transition” to his successor. He has continued with a full schedule as he seeks to shape his legacy, but he cannot make major new policy announcements or spending commitments during the remainder of his time in office.
His trip to Berlin for a meeting of the E5 — Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the UK — is focused on European defence, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. The visit also underlines the role Starmer has played internationally, where he has appeared more sure-footed in working with allies to support Kyiv and handle the fallout from the Iran war than he has been at home. Britain is also expected to publish a long-awaited defence investment plan before the NATO summit in Turkiye on July 7 and 8, which Starmer is likely to attend. The plan had triggered the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey on June 11.
With Burnham now the clear frontrunner and no challenger yet in sight, Labour’s leadership contest could be brief, while Starmer uses his final days in office to manage the transition and continue key diplomatic engagements abroad.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
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