Can anyone stop Andy? Ex-marine Al Carns and Starmer loyalist Darren Jones mull challenging Burnham for keys to No10

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 08:12, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 08:26, 23 June 2026 Andy Burnham's push for a 'coronation' in No10 is facing potential disruption from two senior Labour figures. Darren Jones - a Starmer loyalist - and former Royal Marine Al Carns are both mulling throwing their hats into the ring for the leadership. If either could secure the 81 nominations from MPs needed to force a full contest it could at least delay Mr Burnham's seemingly inevitable progress. Keir Starmer's emotional resignation yesterday has brought months of intense behind-the-scenes wrangling to the surface.  At the same time, Mr Burnham arrived at Westminster and was sworn in as an MP after his stunning victory in the Makerfield by-election. Andy Burnham's push for a 'coronation' in No10 is facing potential disruption from two senior Labour figures Sources close to Darren Jones, the Secretary to the PM, claimed he was being urged by MPs to mount a challenge, and had not ruled it out In a sign of the huge support he now enjoys in the Parliamentary Party, hundreds of colleagues joined him for a 'mass selfie' in Westminster Hall. Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds announced this morning that he supports Mr Burnham for the top job, and was against a full-blown contest.  He told Sky News: 'I am backing Andy Burnham to succeed Keir. I think, first of all, we have a job of delivery to do in the second half of the Parliament. I think he has shown, Andy, comprehensively as the mayor of Greater Manchester, that he can carry out that job of delivery. 'But secondly, there is the question about leading us into the next general election and defeating Reform and I think Andy Burnham has just shown comprehensively in Makerfield that he can do that, we've seen him do it in an election. 'So I'm backing Andy Burnham and, yes, looking for a swift transition.' Asked if that meant he wanted to avoid a contest, he said: 'I just think we have to weigh up what is in the best interests of the country. I am of the view that it needs to be a swift transition, but of course I understand colleagues have difficult decisions to make.' But there is still some disquiet at the prospect of a 'coronation' - which would mean Mr Burnham being parachuted into Downing Street unopposed without any vote by party members.  Sir Keir laid out a timetable that would see MP nominations open between July 9 and 16, with a full ballot only triggered if there is more than one candidate. Sources close to Mr Jones, the Secretary to the PM, claimed he was being urged by MPs to mount a challenge, and had not ruled it out. He has been seeking assurances on Mr Burnham's approach to economic policy, amid concerns he could borrow more to splurge on spending.  Mr Carns - who quit as defence minister earlier this month - suggested on ITV's Peston he was considering what to do. 'I'm not ready to make a decision on this in any way shape or form,' he said. 'What I would say is we need to move from the politics which talk through the tactics and actually think about the strategy and what I'm really looking for are big objective outcomes that we want to get to in 2029 and 2034-35'. He said 'we need to have a clear and concise discussion about what this country wants to be at the next general election and the general election after that'. Mr Burnham will begin to set out his policy platform, pledging economic growth and a commitment to Labour's existing fiscal rules in a speech next week. Talks are also said to be taking place about who will sit in his Cabinet, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood both tipped as potential candidates to replace Ms Reeves as chancellor. Former defence minister Al Carns suggested on ITV's Peston he was considering what to do But Mr Burnham's allies said no jobs had been given and no deals had been made as of Monday evening. Ms Reeves' successor would be bound by the rules she set, which aim to restrict borrowing and pay for day-to-day spending out of tax revenues by the end of the decade. Mr Burnham previously caused alarm by saying 'we've got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets'. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.