Andy Burnham has been forced to come clean about his leadership ambitions because the view of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party on the doorstep has become so “toxic” that the Makerfield by-election is still “too close to call”, his allies say.
After weeks of speculation, the Greater Manchester mayor used his appearance on a BBC Question Time by-election special on Thursday night to finally confirm that he would run to replace Sir Keir as Labour leader and prime minister if voters in Makerfield send him back to Westminster when they go to the polls later this month.
