Under-fire British PM Starmer makes offer to would-be rival Burnham
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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been clinging on to power since disastrous local and regional election results in May.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried on June 17 to ward off an expected leadership challenge by saying he wants would-be rival Andy Burnham to play “a big role” in his Labour government.
Burnham is widely predicted to try to oust Starmer from office if he wins a crunch by-election on June 18 for the parliamentary seat of Makerfield in north-west England.
In an interview with Sky News, Starmer signalled he could invite Burnham to join his top ministerial team if he is successful in his bid to become an MP.
“Andy is a great asset. And, yes, I want him to have a big role in government,” Starmer said of the Greater Manchester mayor.
The Prime Minister, who has been clinging on to power since disastrous local and regional election results in May, said he would talk to Burnham “after the weekend”.
Starmer warned him against launching an immediate leadership challenge, saying the whole of the Labour Party should instead focus on defending the vacated mayoral seat.
Starmer, in power since July 2024, has insisted he intends to remain as prime minister despite rock-bottom poll ratings and several ministerial resignations.
“If there is a challenge, then I intend to fight,” Starmer said, during the interview in the French spa town of Evian, where he was attending the G-7 summit.
Burnham is expected to easily muster the support of 81 of Labour’s 400-plus MPs needed to launch a contest. A contest would be divisive, however, and Burnham allies have briefed British media that they hope Starmer could instead be persuaded to lay out a timetable for his departure. AFP
