Burnham presses Labour leadership question as Starmer faces wholesale-change call

LONDON — Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said Tuesday that Keir Starmer has no plan to turn the country around and accused Labour's leadership of being divisive as the party heads into its annual conference. The comments come amid a period of polling setbacks for Starmer's government and rising questions about Labour's direction.

Speaking to The New Statesman, Burnham argued Labour must pursue wholesale change and refused to rule out returning to Westminster, telling reporters that he would be happy to play any role if a plan to turn the country around could be agreed. 'To me, the issue of the conference is not who is the deputy leader or who is the leader. The issue is: where is our plan to turn the country around? This kind of challenge... cannot be met by a very factional and quite divisive running of the Labour Party,' he said.

Burnham laid out what he called a blueprint for what he described as 'aspirational socialism,' including a wholesale shift to public ownership of utilities such as housing, energy, rail and water. He said wholesale change should roll back much of the 1980s economic model and place essential services in public hands to help reduce living costs and shield the public purse from market pressures. 'Housing, energy, rail and water in public ownership' would be central, he argued, as part of a broader move to recenter Labour on working-class ambition.

His plan also contemplats higher council tax on expensive properties in London and the South East, income tax cuts for lower earners, and borrowing £40 billion to build council homes. He described Labour’s renewed pitch as a form of 'aspirational socialism' and urged the party to speak more directly to working-class aspirations, arguing that the country needs a message that resonates beyond traditional Labour voters.

Last night, The Telegraph and other outlets reported that MPs have privately urged Burnham to challenge Starmer for the leadership. To stand in a leadership contest, Burnham would need to resign as mayor of Greater Manchester, win a Westminster seat in a by-election, and secure nominations from at least 80 Labour MPs. He also lashed out at what he called an 'unhealthy culture' in politics based on point-scoring and urged a move toward proportional representation to allow coalitions of the progressive majority. He also criticized Chancellor Rachel Reeves for resisting higher borrowing, saying, 'We've got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets.'

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC there isn’t a vacancy for an alternative post, saying, 'There isn't a vacancy so I'm not sure which job he'd be applying for.' Some party backbenchers offered cautious support: one told The Telegraph there would be a caucus of support if Burnham ran, while another warned that if he intends to go, he should stop courting a return to the old Westminster system.

The remarks underscore ongoing tensions within Labour as the party prepares for its conference and as Starmer seeks to present a disciplined, unified front ahead of the next general election. Analysts note that any leadership bid would face steep procedural hurdles and unpredictable internal dynamics, including the potential influence of Reform UK voters in by-elections. Regardless, Burnham’s comments crystallize a central question for Labour: can the party reconcile its internal differences with a clear, broadly appealing plan to tackle a cost-of-living crisis and a volatile economy?