Andy Burnham has called for an end to “constant anonymous briefings” within Labour as he backed Sir Keir Starmer following a failed attempt to force the Prime Minister from office through blocking the Greater Manchester mayor from a by-election candidacy.
Burnham stated he had spoken to Starmer to create “a sense of a stronger team again” within the party after being prevented from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election, a move widely interpreted as an effort to trigger a leadership crisis.
“We need to sort of dial down all of this constant briefing. It’s seemingly a bit endless some of the anonymous briefings going around. I think we just need to focus on what’s in front of us,” Burnham said on Tuesday.
The mayor criticized internal party divisions, stating: “I think we’ve got to get away from the kind of sense that everything is a challenge.” He added that Labour needed to concentrate on the upcoming by-election rather than internal warfare, describing it as “the politics of collectivism versus the politics of division.”
Burnham’s intervention came after a row erupted between Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Downing Street on Monday night. Streeting hit out at briefings suggesting he was involved in an attempted coup against the Prime Minister.
Asked whether he thought Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was wrong to call for Starmer’s resignation, and whether he could rule himself out of a future leadership challenge, Burnham declined to criticize his colleague. “I spoke to the prime minister, spoke to the government, we need to get that strong sense of a stronger team again than there has been in recent times,” he stated.
The Greater Manchester mayor said Starmer had his “support” but added Labour needs “greater unity” as he gave a rallying cry for the party to focus on the Gorton and Denton contest. He stated the Prime Minister also had his backing when he attempted to put himself forward for the seat before being blocked.
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan broke her silence earlier on Tuesday to publicly back Starmer, though she added she had “concerns” that Lord Peter Mandelson was “incompatible” for public office. Her support came as ministers rallied around the Prime Minister after 48 dramatic hours.
Starmer lost his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney during the crisis and faced resignation calls from Sarwar over the Mandelson-Epstein scandal. Communications director Tim Allan also quit within hours of McSweeney’s departure, dealing a double blow to the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
Burnham emphasized the need for Labour to move past internal divisions: “My view is you’ve got to focus on stopping that now…. and everything else is noise in the background.” He stated he had been “playing my role in that by-election” as the party attempts to secure the Gorton and Denton seat.
The Prime Minister is expected to take part in a community visit this afternoon in an attempt to move beyond the leadership crisis that has dominated recent days. The visit represents his first major public engagement since surviving the coup attempt triggered by blocking Burnham’s candidacy.
The Gorton and Denton by-election will serve as an early test of whether Labour can unite behind Starmer or whether internal divisions will continue undermining his leadership. Burnham’s call for ending anonymous briefings suggests ongoing tensions within the party despite public displays of support for the embattled Prime Minister.
