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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Jessica Elgot and Kiran Stacey

‘It’s Andy or bust’: MPs could keep Starmer in place to give Burnham time to return

Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham shaking hands
While Burnham was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection, he is still believed to be seeking a path back to the Commons. Photograph: Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

If Keir Starmer is looking for a saviour to keep him in No 10 after the May elections and the scandal of the Mandelson saga, there is an unlikely figure in the north-west who might help him – temporarily.

It has been the week where the prime minister seemed at his most isolated. But Labour MPs told the Guardian they were urging colleagues not to depose Starmer next month, and were instead preparing to demand that Andy Burnham return to parliament in order to succeed him before the next general election.

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