Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham again refused to rule out a future Labour leadership bid on Thursday as questions intensified over whether he plans to return to Parliament. The discussion reignited after a Labour MP said he would be willing to vacate his seat to give Burnham a route back to Westminster.
Burnham has been a focal point of internal party speculation since Labour’s autumn conference. Under Labour rules, any challenger to the sitting leader must be a Member of Parliament and secure the support of at least eighty MPs. Burnham, who left Westminster in 2017 to run for mayor, is currently unable to meet that threshold.
The latest round of questions followed an on-air remark from Norwich South MP Clive Lewis. Speaking on BBC’s Politics Live on Wednesday, Lewis said the idea of stepping aside for Burnham was something he had considered and that the answer “would have to be yes.”
Hours later, Lewis clarified to The Sun that he had “no plans to stand down,” saying his earlier response was to a hypothetical question. He has represented the constituency for ten years and increased his majority in the last general election.
Lewis has been publicly critical of Sir Keir Starmer in recent weeks, calling the prime minister’s position “untenable” and telling Channel 4 News that Burnham should be given the chance to “step up.”
Across three separate BBC interviews on Wednesday and Thursday, Burnham sidestepped repeated attempts to clarify whether he plans to complete his term as mayor, which runs until 2028.
Asked on BBC Breakfast whether he could commit to the full term, he replied, “I don’t know what the world holds but I’m focused on my job here in Greater Manchester.”
Pressed on whether he intended to launch a challenge, Burnham said, “I haven’t launched any leadership challenge,” before adding, “I’m not going to sit here this morning and rule out what might or might not happen in future. I don’t know what the future will hold.”
On BBC Radio Manchester, presenter Mike Sweeney asked why Burnham would not simply say he had “no intention whatsoever” of returning to Parliament. Burnham responded, “The statement I can make is that I can’t make a challenge as it stands because I’m not a member of parliament.”
When asked what would happen if an MP stood aside for him, he said people do not usually speculate openly about their own careers. “You just don’t know, do you?” he added.
Burnham also criticised the level of attention around the issue, saying he was “constantly answering hypothetical questions” while MPs in Westminster spent too much time speculating and not enough time offering solutions.
Two Labour MPs from Greater Manchester, Andrew Gwynne and Graham Stringer, have already ruled out stepping down for Burnham. Even if Lewis or another MP did resign, any successor would need to win a local selection contest before a by-election could be called.
Burnham, who previously served in both the cabinet and shadow cabinet and mounted two unsuccessful Labour leadership campaigns, remains one of the party’s highest-profile figures outside Westminster. His comments leave open the possibility of a return to Parliament but give no indication of timing.
Africa Digital News, New York
