Burnham saga unlikely to be last act in the drama of Starmer’s leadershippublished at 07:06 GMT
07:06 GMT
Chris Mason
Political editor
Image source, Peter Byrne/PA Wire
The other day, I compared the saga of Andy Burnham, his ambitions and the forthcoming by-election in Greater Manchester to a long and twisting marble run.
If, and it was a big if, the marble trundled all the way to the bottom, it was possible to imagine Burnham as prime minister before this year was out.
But, as I said then, it was also possible the marble would fly off the run spectacularly – which is precisely what has now happened.
In an exercise of brute power, which is simultaneously an illustration of how they perceive their own weakness, No 10 has scuppered Burnham’s attempted run from Manchester to Westminster and perhaps on to Downing Street.
No 10 has calculated that it would rather weather a short-term storm than authorise a circus lasting weeks, then months, with Burnham as a by-election candidate and one question dominating: what’s your plan if you become prime minister?
All this means that in the space of just a few months, those loyal to the prime minister have briefed heavily against Health Secretary Wes Streeting, whose ambitions they view with nervousness too – and have now blocked Andy Burnham from returning to Westminster.
Their critics, within the Labour Party and beyond, say both are acts of a weak prime minister seeking to cripple capable rivals who might, they argue, do a considerably better job than him in No 10.
This will likely be far from the last act this year in the drama of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, and how much of a future it has.