Andy Burnham’s hopes of becoming prime minister without a leadership contest have been given a boost after a key potential rival ruled out standing against him – despite new polling revealing just one in ten Britons are in favour of a coronation.
Cabinet minister Darren Jones, a key Starmer ally who had been touted as a potential anti-Burnham leadership candidate in recent days, has confirmed he will not run after he was “reassured” about the Makerfield MP’s economic plans in a conversation on Tuesday.
The development means the former mayor of Greater Manchester so far faces no challengers, with former health secretary Wes Streeting having also said he will back Mr Burnham.
However, a new IPSOS poll has shown only a minority would be in favour of Mr Burnham being handed the keys to No 10 without a contest.
The survey of 1,131 British voters, carried out from Friday to Monday, shows just 13 per cent are in favour of a coronation, while 39 per cent of the public would prefer a Labour leadership contest.
Mr Jones had been encouraged to run so that Mr Burnham faces a test of his ideas and policies in front of Labour lawmakers and members.
His decision to rule himself out of the Labour leadership contest removes another obstacle on Mr Burnham’s route to Number 10, with few other MPs being discussed as potential challengers.
Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on July 9 and close a week later. If no other candidate secures the 81 nominations necessary to get on to the ballot for the Labour leadership, Mr Burnham is expected to enter Downing Street by July 18, giving Britain its fifth prime minister in four years.
A recent YouGov poll found almost half of Britons believe there should be a general election once Sir Keir Starmer’s replacement is confirmed, echoing calls from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Former defence minister Al Carns, who resigned earlier this month in a row over defence spending, remains a possible contender, telling the BBC on Tuesday he was “pretty serious” about launching a bid but wanted to see what policies Mr Burnham was going to champion.
The Makerfield MP is expected to make a speech next week outlining some of his economic plans, as Mr Jones said Mr Burnham should set out more details for the “upwards of 100 MPs” who were concerned about his plans or were “feeling pretty depressed” by Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation.
The outgoing prime minister has already authorised “access talks” between leadership contenders and the Civil Service, meaning Mr Burnham and his team can receive government briefings once he demonstrates he has the support of 81 Labour MPs.
Talks are also continuing about who might serve in a Burnham cabinet, and who might advise the former Greater Manchester mayor behind the scenes.
Senior Labour figures – including former transport secretary Louise Haigh, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and former health secretary Wes Streeting – have all been tipped for top jobs in a government led by Mr Burnham.
