Andy Burnham needs a “clear and achievable plan” if he is to become prime minister, Rishi Sunak has said.
Mr Sunak, who was in Downing Street from October 2022 to July 2024, warned the Labour leadership hopeful of “the trials of incumbency” in the wake of the Makerfield by-election.
He said: “First, political capital depreciates more quickly than ever before. That Starmer and Merz are both facing such leadership speculation less than two years after winning elections is an illustration of that.
“Burnham must recognise that if he reaches No 10, he’ll never have more power than on his first day in the job. It is vital he has a clear and achievable plan for what he wants to do in those opening hours.”
Writing for The Times, Mr Sunak continued: “Burnham shouldn’t want to become PM by default… I remember on the morning after Boris Johnson dropped out in October 2022, I kept suggesting to my team that we should want a contest, that it would be good for us.
“They assumed that I was just emotionally preparing for another candidate getting the necessary nominations and having to go through a leadership election. But I actually meant it. Without one, your mandate is weak, and you end up being bound by commitments that aren’t your priorities.”