Andy Burnham: I would run to be Labour leader and Prime Minister 

The subtext of the Makerfield by-election became text in Thursday night’s Question Time special as Andy Burnham confirmed that he would seek to become Labour leader and Prime Minister if he succeeds in re-entering the House of Commons on 18 June.

“If I get your support, I would seek to represent you at the highest level,” he said in answer to a question roughly halfway through the programme, “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.”

Of course, it was obvious that this was the reason for Burnham’s dash for a parliamentary seat. Earlier in the programme, he had gently nodded along as members of the audience attacked Keir Starmer’s record as Prime Minister and said it was time for a change. But it was extraordinary to hear it so clearly, as the gathered forces of the Labour Party hike up to Wigan to campaign for Burnham: this is a slow-motion coup against the sitting Prime Minister. 

Burnham’s comments even triggered a response from No 10 before the programme had concluded: “The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and it has not been triggered. The Prime Minister will not walk away from the mandate he was given just two years ago to build a stronger, fairer Britain.”

Reform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon had a tough time when confronted by his own historic comments about women’s rights. “I hold my hands up, I’ve made mistakes,” he said.

Kenyon tried to regain the initiative by attacking “career politicians”, and played Wigan off against Burnham’s fiefdom of Greater Manchester, saying “while Manchester thrives, we’re struggling to survive in Wigan”. He said of the by-election that he didn’t want to “use it as a stepping stone”. One audience member, referencing his social media output, said “I’d rather have a career politician than a plumber who’s a sexist.”

It was not certain that Kenyon would appear on the programme when the notion of a by-election special was first floated, but he eventually agreed. He was locked away with Reform’s senior figures in preparation for this appearance for hours on Thursday.

He made no great blunders, but is clearly an unpolished performer compared to Burnham (at one point, he was laughed at by the audience when he said that Reform’s policy of hiring 30,000 new police officers was beyond his comprehension as a local by-election candidate). 

Burnham was not excessively partisan, but he did criticise Nigel Farage’s response to the Henry Nowak case, saying that the Reform leader’s appeal to “pure, cold rage” reminded him of the politics of the USA and should be avoided in Britain. 

The Mayor’s pitch was largely unchanged since he first spoke to our editor Tom McTague about his “Manchesterism” programme back in September. “As mayor of Greater Manchester, I’ve pioneered a new form of politics,” he said. 

There are two weeks until polling day, but this may be the most highly publicised hustings of the campaign and Burnham came out of it without a scratch.

[Further reading: What Makerfield believes]