Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell has backed Sir Keir Starmer to remain prime minister after Thursday’s elections – but said she also wants one of his key leadership rivals, Andy Burnham, to return to Westminster.
With hours to go before polls open across England, Wales and Scotland, in what are widely predicted to be disastrous elections for Labour, she also sidestepped questions about whether Sir Keir should lead the party into the next general election.
At the weekend, the PM issued an extraordinary warning to Labour over “political infighting”, as he urged his critics not to try to oust him as speculation over his future intensifies.
His fightback followed reports that Mr Burnham, the hugely popular Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, is formulating a plan for a swift return to Westminster, from where he could challenge Sir Keir.
Labour faces losing hundreds of council seats across England, as well as its dominance in the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, in the biggest test of public opinion since the general election in 2024.
MPs are reportedly already making moves to try to oust the PM in the wake of the results, as part of a bloodless coup.
Asked in a Sky News interview whether she would stand shoulder to shoulder with Sir Keir, whatever the outcome of the local elections, Ms Powell said: “I’m going to continue to be the deputy leader, bringing the whole Labour Party together to make sure that we can get across our strong Labour message.
“And that’s with Keir as our leader, doing what he has been doing, which is making the right big calls, the right big calls for the country, whether it’s on Iran, whether it’s on Europe, whether it’s on bringing everyone together, on whether it’s on our response to this crisis.”
Asked if the PM was the right person to lead the party into the next general election, she said that Labour had a “real duty” right now to focus on how to turn the country around.
She said Sir Keir was an “incredibly resilient and stoic leader” who spends his time “getting on with the job”.
But she added that she would “absolutely” like to see Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham return to parliament and called him an “incredibly popular, relatable and effective politician”.
She added: “He has helped to lead a transformation here in Greater Manchester. And I think if he wants to, he’s got a huge contribution to make to our national politics as well.”
The PM and his allies blocked Mr Burnham from standing as a candidate for Westminster in a by-election earlier this year.
“I think it’s a well-known fact that I supported Andy, who wanted to be our candidate in a recent by-election,” Ms Powell said.
“Everybody knows that I supported him in wanting to do that. You know, so if Andy wants to come back to parliament, I will continue to support him.”
Earlier, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden, a key ally of Sir Keir, insisted the prime minister was in a “resolute” mood and that triggering a leadership contest would be a mistake.
Asked if the prime minister would fight any challenge to his leadership, Mr McFadden told Sky News: “Yes, and I hope there isn’t, because I don’t think it would be the answer to our problems.
“We’d be saying to the public, ‘Just hold on for a few months while we go over here and sort something out’. That is not what the public wants to hear.
“I hope we do well tomorrow. But even if we don’t, the day after our job is to wake up, continue with doing our job and serve the country.”
Asked whether Sir Keir was ready to face down any challenges to his leadership, the senior cabinet minister said: “Yes, he is feeling that. He’s remarkably resolute, and he knows that to turn inward at this moment, or to turn inward after Thursday, would be a mistake.
“He said he would put the country first when he fought the election a couple of years ago, and he will continue to put the country first.”
Sir Keir earlier vowed to go into polling day “fighting for every vote”, but acknowledged Labour could be in for a “challenge”.
He also wrote in Wednesday’s Mirror newspaper: “On Thursday, when you go to put your vote in the ballot box, there’s a clear choice on that piece of paper.
“Unity or division. Progress versus the politics of anger. The right plan for our country up against easy answers that will lead us nowhere.”
Wednesday marks the final full day of campaigning before polls open on Thursday across England, Scotland and Wales.
Almost 25,000 candidates are fighting to be elected to more than 5,000 seats on 136 councils across England.
In Scotland, all 129 seats are up for election in Holyrood, while voters in Wales will choose a set of 96 members of the Senedd.
