ANDY Burnham has confirmed for the first time he’ll run for Labour leader.
The wannabe party chief said he wanted to topple Sir Keir Starmer in a bid to enter Downing Street.
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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he will run for Labour leader Credit: Reuters
The Makerfield by-election candidates on tonight’s episode of Question Time Credit: Reuters
The Manchester Mayor is currently fighting the Makerfield by-election on June 18, but will need to overcome the challenge from Reform UK.
He said if he can win the contest he will seek to represent his constituents “at the highest possible level”.
He told BBC Question Time tonight: “I’m not somebody who gets ahead of myself.
“I can’t do anything unless I’m lucky enough to get the support of people here.
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“But if I get your support, I would seek to represent you at the highest possible level and give this constituency maximum power and influence.
“I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it.
“But I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same.
“So that’s the only question… I’ve said to my team, let’s have a proper look at this and let’s develop a policy.”
All candidates for the Makerfield seat appeared on Question Time this evening in the countdown to the hotly-contested by-election.
Burnham was pitted against Reform’s Robert Kenyon for the first time after a poll revealed Labour only had the lead by three per cent.
Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe’s rival right-wing party, was not invited to take part in the debate.
The party leadership hopeful previously blasted the Prime Minister declaring the past two years have “not been good enough”.
Mr Burnham said: “I know my own party needs to change. We need to be better than we’ve been. We’ve not been good enough.
“And I want to leave people in no doubt today, a vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour.”
He told the voters of the north west seat that the contest is a “change” by-election as he needs to beat Reform to win the seat.
Burnham has since confirmed he will not call a snap general election if he becomes Labour leader in the coming months.
Speculation mounted he would push for an early national vote, but his spokesman has confirmed that such a vote won’t be held and he is intent on serving a full term, Bloomberg reported.
It now means that the next time the public go to the polls in a national count will likely be in 2029.
