Will ex-commando Al Carns be action man or inaction man? Ex-minister poised to decide whether to run against Burnham and prevent his untested 'coronation' as Labour leader

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 13:56, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 13:57, 29 June 2026 Labour's action man Al Carns is set to decide whether to stand to be Labour leader and block Andy Burnham from taking over in No10 following an untested 'coronation'.  Carns, a former Royal Marine commando, said yesterday he would make a decision after Burnham's economic speech in Manchester, calling for a clear plan for the next decade. The former armed forces minister, who quit over a lack of cash for defence spending earlier this month, is the last remaining possible challenger to Burnham, with all other would-be alternatives folding in behind his leadership campaign. If Carns decides to join them in bending the knee, the new Makerfield MP will be installed in No10 in just three weeks' time. A leadership election, which Burnham would almost certainly win, would take most of the summer, but it would allow public scrutiny of his pro-North programme for government before he takes power. But it remains unclear if Carns has the support of 81 Labour MPs he requires to make the ballot paper.  PM-in-waiting Burnham gave his first big speech in Manchester this morning, pledging to move power and money to the North, East and Midlands. He said a 'No10 North' based in the city would be the 'nerve centre' for his 'Manchesterism', suggesting his Government would copy German laws dictating that all states had to have 'equivalent living standards' after reunification. He said the country had not been run 'for the many' and he wanted to put 'hope in every heart' by 'rebalancing' away from Westminster. Carns, a former Royal Marine commando, said yesterday he would make a decision after Burnham's economic speech in Manchester, calling for a clear plan for the next decade The former armed forces minister, who quit over a lack of cash for defence spending earlier this month, is the last remaining possible challenger to Burnham, with all other would-be alternatives folding in behind his leadership campaign. Yesterday Carns, the MP for Selly Oak in Birmingham, told the BBC he was 'not going to start jumping up and down until I've had a look' at Mr Burnham's plans. 'We need to see a vision, we need to see the plan because unfortunately a vision without a plan is a dream,' he said. 'What I would like to see is where do we want to be by 2029 and where do we want to be by 2034-35.' He went on: 'Is it the healthiest nation in Europe, is it adding a trillion pounds onto our GDP, is national security important, how do we get the next generation to have a better deal than the last generation et cetera, et cetera. 'And then a plan to deliver it, and it doesn't need to be the detail but it needs to be there. 'Let's see how that lands, let's see how much that pulls everybody together.' The ex-Special Boat Service colonel, who climbed Mount Everest last year and has been dubbed 'Action Man', joined the Royal Marines from school.  After earning his green beret he transferred to the elite SBS as an officer and he was decorated for gallantry in Afghanistan. In July 2010 he earned a Military Cross (MC) on a Special Forces operation in Haji Wakil, Helmand Province, that nearly cost him his life. A Taliban round missed the Aberdonian by inches.  He quit the Government in early June, following defence secretary John Healey out in a row over funding for the UK military. Carns said the long-delayed defence investment plan (DIP) did not have enough money behind it and was not 'transformational' in the way it responds to the challenges of modern warfare as shown by the Ukraine conflict, where drones have become a key factor on the battlefield. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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.