politics
Minister supports Burnham as Labour MPs split over possible contest for leadership
Key takeaways
- Thomas-Symonds, who is a Cabinet Office minister, was one of about 200 Labour MPs pictured with Burnham after he was sworn in as an MP on Monday.
- Former defence minister Al Carns and senior minister Darren Jones are both understood to be considering running, now former health secretary Wes Streeting has ditched his own bid.
- Thomas-Symonds told BBC Breakfast he was backing Burnham because the party needed "someone with a track record of delivery and delivering change and that's what we've seen from Andy as Mayor of Greater Manchester".
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Kiernan, Political reporter and Henry Zeffman, Chief political correspondent Published3 minutes ago Leading ally of the PM Nick Thomas-Symonds has said he is backing Andy Burnham to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister.
Thomas-Symonds, who is a Cabinet Office minister, was one of about 200 Labour MPs pictured with Burnham after he was sworn in as an MP on Monday.
Since Sir Keir announced he was stepping down, Labour MPs have been debating whether there should be a contest to replace him or whether possible contenders should withdraw to give Burnham, the frontrunner, a clear path to No 10.
Article preview — originally published by BBC Politics. Full story at the source.
Read full story on BBC Politics →
More top stories
Also covered by
The Guardian
Minister calls for ‘swift transition’ of power to Burnham without challenge over Labour leadership – UK politics live
The Guardian
MPs urge Darren Jones to run against Andy Burnham for Labour leadership
BBC News
Labour MPs mull leadership challenge to prevent Burnham 'coronation'
MercoPress
Burnham sworn in as MP and enters Labour leadership race with a clear path to No 10
Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from BBC Politics alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place.
Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop