Keir Starmer under fresh pressure as Rayner allies plot Burnham comeback

Sir Keir Starmer faced renewed internal turmoil Friday as allies of Angela Rayner floated the idea that she could re-enter frontline politics alongside Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor. The comments heighten scrutiny of Starmer's leadership after Rayner quit as deputy earlier this month over a stamp-duty underpayment on a new flat.

Starmer's government was unsettled by a late-September reshuffle; he initially defended, then dismissed Lord Mandelson over links to the Epstein case. MPs have warned that Starmer could be regarded as 'gone' after Labour losses in local elections in May if results are poor.

Speculation has grown that Burnham could be a potential replacement for Starmer as Labour leader, with at least one serving cabinet minister backing a return to Westminster for Burnham as an MP if he chooses. A friend of Rayner told The Telegraph she was 'not daft' and 'knows how to make her career survive,' and that conversations about a joint ticket with Burnham have occurred. The Telegraph report noted that some MPs raised the prospect of Rayner resurfacing alongside Burnham as deputy, a plan that would require careful navigating of party dynamics.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she loves Andy Burnham and would support him 'whatever he decides to do,' remarks she made while backing Lucy Powell, an ally of Burnham, in the contest to replace Rayner as Labour's deputy leader. Nandy told LBC that Burnham had been 'a fantastic champion for the North,' and that his future role could be as an MP or as mayor.

Powell has launched a robust critique of Starmer's leadership, telling the BBC's Political Thinking podcast that 'some of the mistakes' and 'unforced errors' have given the sense Labour is not on the side of ordinary people. Powell is contesting the deputy leadership against Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, after Rayner's resignation. Powell cautioned that Talk of a Burnham-Rayner axis should not be treated as a proxy for Burnham and urged the party to listen to backbenchers and address welfare reform concerns that have long animated Labour MPs.

Within Westminster circles, some Labour veterans described a Burnham-Rayner alliance as 'extremely unlikely' to succeed in practice. Ashton-under-Lyne MP Rayner won her seat with a narrow majority last year, and skeptics argued she could face a difficult re-election battle if she sought to return to Parliament sooner rather than later. Burnham's current mayoral term runs until 2028, and any bid to lead Labour would require him to return to Westminster and win a seat, which adds to the complexity of such discussions.

The broader context remains fraught for Labour as it fights to regain confidence in northern England and to present a cohesive alternative ahead of local and national elections. While some officials stress the need for unity, others acknowledge that the party's internal tensions could influence voter perceptions at a pivotal moment. The discussions about possible leadership moves occur against a backdrop of ongoing debates about welfare reform, public services, and Labour's stance on key policy priorities. The ultimate path forward will depend on how the party consolidates its message, secures support in the north, and translates parliamentary leadership considerations into votes at the ballot box.