A woman leader of the Labour Party is “long overdue”, Lisa Nandy said, expressing frustration that those jostling to oust Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are all men.
But the Culture Secretary also warned Labour against turning inwards, and said the public had been “completely” cut out of the conversation over the last week amid rumours of a leadership challenge.
She also ruled out standing should there be a Labour leadership contest.
Ms Nandy, the MP for Wigan, said during an interview with Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme that she was “not here to be a spokesperson for whichever man offers an opinion on politics in the Labour Party”.
She was asked why she repeatedly decided to refer to the two “men” who currently appear to be seeking to replace Sir Keir: Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting.
Ms Nandy replied: “It’s just not lost on me that I’m being interviewed by a man, being asked to give my views about several men in the Labour Party, who I’m clearly not a spokesperson for.
“I’m sorry if I’m coming across as a bit irritated.
“I think what is really winding me up, if I’m honest, is that people told us loud and clear last Thursday that things weren’t good enough, that they needed far more fundamental, far more urgent change in their lives.
“Somehow we seem to have just cut them out completely of the conversation over the last week, and Westminster has gone into introspection mode, where the debate is being led about personalities and about individuals.”
Asked whether Labour’s lack of any women leaders in its history raised questions about the party, Ms Nandy referred back to her own tilt at the leadership in the 2020 contest to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.
She told Sky News: “I did try to fix that in 2019 if you cast your mind back that far, but I agree with you, I think a woman leader is long overdue.”
Ms Nandy however insisted that voters wanted the Government to “get on with the job”, adding: “The Prime Minister is getting on with the job.
“If people want to trigger a leadership contest, they can, but I just think that the idea that the rest of the country is obsessing about who is the leader of the Labour Party is just for the birds, to be honest.”
Later, speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Nandy was asked if she would rule out standing in a future leadership contest.
She replied: “Yeah, I would. I said at the time that never again. I mean, I can’t say it’s an enormously enjoyable experience.”
She criticised speculation about the Labour leadership contest as “froth and nonsense”.
The Culture Secretary also rebuked Wes Streeting for seeking to reopen the debate over Brexit in his pitch to oust the Prime Minister.
Mr Streeting, the ex-health secretary, on Saturday set out his desire for a “new special relationship” with the EU, and to eventually rejoin the trade bloc.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, was meanwhile probed over his support for returning to the EU as he seeks to stand in a Brexit-voting, Reform UK-facing parliamentary constituency.
Amid an emerging Labour leadership debate, Ms Nandy was asked on Sky News whether she believed Sir Keir would leave No 10 by the summer.
“No, I don’t,” she replied.
Ms Nandy added: “I have spoken to the Prime Minister several times over the last week and he was very clear with the Cabinet on Tuesday that if people want to challenge him there is a process for doing that, there is a way to trigger a leadership contest, to be leader of the Labour Party and to succeed him as Prime Minister.”
No-one has yet triggered a leadership contest “despite the absolute feverish speculation”, the minister insisted.
The Wigan MP said: “Every hour on the hour for the last week I’ve read that Wes Streeting was about to launch a challenge; that Andy Burnham was about to contest every seat in Greater Manchester, including my own; that Angela Rayner was written off, that Angela Rayner was now challenging; and most of it has turned out to be just froth and nonsense.”
