How the contest is shaping up two weeks ahead of crucial Makerfield by-election
Key takeaways
- It is worth looking at his wording carefully: "I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it.
- Clearly Burnham is desperate not to be seen to be presumptuous, at any potential stage in this process – not least to the people of the Makerfield constituency who he needs to win over in the next couple of weeks.
- Streeting, the former health secretary, has not formally launched a contest either, but Burnham is suggesting he would join an existing contest rather than trigger one himself.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Chris Mason Political editor Reuters Labour's Andy Burnham is still dancing delicately in the language he is choosing to use about his ambitions, but his remarks on the BBC's Question Time were a hop and a shimmy further than he has stepped before.
It is worth looking at his wording carefully: "I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I'd have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same."
Clearly Burnham is desperate not to be seen to be presumptuous, at any potential stage in this process – not least to the people of the Makerfield constituency who he needs to win over in the next couple of weeks.