Andy Burnham “Close to Securing Deal” for a Commons Seat to Mount Leadership Challenge
Andy Burnham and his allies have their eye on a seat which is “likely to come free” in the coming months, bringing the Manchester Mayor one step closer to a return to parliament where he will be able to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the top job. The Mail has the story.
Labour rebels plotting to topple Sir Keir Starmer say they are on the brink of a major breakthrough.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is poised to secure a deal to fight a by-election to return to the Commons and mount a leadership challenge, his allies have told the Mail on Sunday.
Mr Burnham has made little secret of his ambition to take the top job, and now his Commons allies say they have found a seat which is “likely to come free” in the coming months – and which the so-called King Of The North should win, polls suggest.
Strategists working for the Prime Minister’s arch rival have drawn up a shortlist of potential target seats in the North West, including the Greater Manchester seat currently held by former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne.
Mr Gwynne denies he plans to stand down to allow Mr Burnham to run in his seat. But he has been suspended from the Labour Party since February following the Mail on Sunday’s revelations that he sent racist and sexist WhatsApp messages – and is not expected to resume his Westminster career.
On Saturday, a Labour MP who backs Mr Burnham said: “It’s happening. We are on the brink of securing a seat which is likely to come free shortly and where the polls say Andy would beat Reform.”
The claim comes amid mounting pressure on Sir Keir. With Labour languishing in the polls, both Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner, the former Deputy Prime Minister, are rumoured to be preparing challenges for his job.
Under the Burnham leadership plan, the mayor would apply for selection in a seat made vacant for him, with the by-election held on or before the elections for local councils and devolved parliaments in May.
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Blairs first puppet screwed everything up, so he wants his second puppet to sort it out. Amazing how well all of this will work out. And we should scrutinise his deals with one Manchester property developer. Burnham will get much more than he hopes – a P45 from Manchester, then out of a job as an MP. I can’t wait to see it.
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It’s never a good idea to tell the British people how they are going to vote.
This could be comedy gold. Remember Runcorn and the safe Labour seat.
It is typical Socialist planning and control, they think everything will just drop into place as they wish it.
As Adam Smith put it: “He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chess–board.
He does not consider that the pieces upon the chess–board have no other principle of motion besides that which the hand impresses upon them; but that, in the great chess–board of human society, every single piece has a principle of motion of its own… “
Reform are fully tooled up for this. They need not think that calling an election over winter will dissuade us. For this, Reform members will travel hundreds of miles to help with the campaign and defeat the leader from over the sea.
Another thought: Labour think it is OK to cancel elections in two successive years for their and the Tories’ convenience, yet they propose to hold an unnecessary by-election because they chose a wooden leader who is failing and there is no one else on the back benches who is up to the job.
I question whether the by-election is unnecessary if the sitting MP is deemed unfit to serve in Parliament. Yes, you could argue it opens a whole argument as to whether committing electoral fraud and failing to pay taxes due; lying on your CV, failing to licence a property, lying in Parliament or lying to the financial markets; or regularly lying in Parliament should make you unfit to serve.
If we had a voter mandatory recall option I would agree with you but we don’t. Dodgy or outright criminal MPs can remain in Parliament unless the HoC expells them.
As we still elect MPs on their personal merit (or we should do so more than most voters do) we should resist easy remoival by the party bureaucracies. The voters should have that exclusive right at any time other than near elections and repetitive attempts within a Parliament should not be allowed.
Similarly the voters should have the right to mandatory referenda. It works in Switzerland and in Califormia and it could work here.
Each of these proposals would terrify the party machines and that is a good reason to have them. Significant mistakes would be more rare than happens when party leaders effectively chose their candidates. Just look at some of them – oh dear!
I question whether the by-election is unnecessary if the sitting MP is deemed unfit to serve in Parliament
Like a Labour MP who remains on bail seven months after arrest on suspicion of rape and child sex offences?
Burnham is not up to the job of Mayor let alone MP or PM. He’s just like the rest of this shower of treasonous bar stewards, about as trustworthy as a GP and a C1984 diagnosis.
I hope he gets to stand in by-election in a “safe’ Labour seat – and Reform win the vote.
Statement of the day! Wonderful.
Isn’t Burnham supposed to have commented that ‘we shouldn’t pay too much attention to the bond markets’ or something of the sort? If he gets into No 10 we may at least be spared a re-run of the sort of pantomime that preceded the last budget, when the Chancellor taunted them with her ‘thoughts’, to find out which her ideas they found least bonkers.. Burnham’s man (or woman?) in No 11 will presumably have authority to steam the shiip of state straight onto the rocks.
Lowly dross to be replaced by VIP dross.
I hope the voters are switched on enough to send Burnham packing.
I see he was Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2007-8 when the biggest global meltdown in history was (visibly) brewing
I think that on its own must be enough to qualify as an “Adult in the Room” for Uniparty purposes.
Just how low are our leaders planning to set the bar?
Ever seen a snake take part in a limbo competition? That low…
Andy Who? Pandy?
I suppose he would make a great team with Loopy Lou Rayner, to replace Bill and Ben.
I just can’t take any of them seriously – although the damage they do is serious enough.
“O LORD, have mercy upon us” the top deck of the Titanic passengers were praying as they were watching the sea waves getting closer.
Whut? Whut? Whut? Shirley we’re not talking about an un-elected Prime Minister?
I doubt very much if Labour can win any by election now. Even with Burnham as a candidate. Believe it or not, not every Labour voter wants a leadership challenge so they may tactically vote Reform to stop a Burnham challenge being manipulated.
I wonder why Burnham is being touted as the saviour of the Labour Party. His track record among the members is hardly inspiring. In 2010 he came fourth out of five candidates in an election that was won by Ed Miliband. And in 2015 he came a long way behind Jeremy Corbyn. If the members thought so little of him that they preferred Miliband and Corbyn then why should he think he will do any better this time? Perhaps he could ask Miliband and Corbyn for advice on how to win a leadership election.
Don’t get too excited. Different wrapping paper, same inside.
It don’t matter who gets the votes in the Western world and especially here, maybe the US excepted, but only for now.
The banksters, Soros etc. rule.
eg, Farage soon realised he had to shut up when he was purported to maybe having even a little sympathy for Putin.
I’m not sure it matters which Labour halfwit is in charge. They’re screwed anyway; it’s just a matter of when. I suppose once in a while a fresh generation with no memory of how bad they are needs to be reminded.
I think the tit whisperer has more chance than AB at taking the far left Labour votes.
First and foremost Burnham needs to be confronted by his role in protecting Pakistani rape gangs.