Labour MPs frustrated by Burnham leadership manoeuvrings, says party chairwoman

Labour MPs are frustrated by Andy Burnham’s leadership manoeuvrings, the party’s chairwoman Anna Turley said as she called for unity behind the Prime Minister’s vision.

Greater Manchester mayor Mr Burnham has suggested some Labour MPs have privately urged him to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership.

As activists prepare to gather in Liverpool for Labour’s conference on Sunday, Ms Turley acknowledged there had been a “challenging couple of weeks” for the leadership.

Asked about Mr Burnham’s recent interventions, Ms Turley said: “Andy Burnham has a big profile. He’s doing a great job in Manchester. You know, he’s made commitments to the people of Manchester. I think we need a party that’s united.”

Ms Turley, who was brought in as party chairwoman in the reshuffle earlier this month, told the PA news agency: “If the polls aren’t looking great, people always get a little bit wobbly. Politics is littered with ambition.

“But the reality is we’ve got a very strong Prime Minister with a strong mandate and a strong vision that I think everyone’s going to be really looking forward to hearing next week.”

Asked about Mr Burnham claiming that MPs had contacted him about running for the party leadership, Ms Turley said: “There’s an awful lot of MPs who are frustrated at that and actually dislike that and wonder what the motivations are for that.

“Labour MPs want this Government to be a success. They want to see the vision from the Prime Minister, and they want us to build on the progress we’ve made in the last year and to lead into a second term. That’s what Labour MPs will want.

“That’s not what I hear, what Andy is saying.

“What I hear is people saying: ‘Right, come on, let’s get together, let’s step up, let’s set out our vision, let’s move into this phase of delivery and making sure that we deliver on the vision that we’ve got for this country: more money in people’s pockets, better public services, a country that’s confident and secure.’”

She said the conference had come at the “perfect time” for the Government to set out what it is doing to deliver on the promises made to the public.

The conference comes with Labour trailing Reform UK in the polls and having suffered the resignation of Angela Rayner and the sacking of Lord Mandelson as “phase two” of Sir Keir’s leadership got off to a rocky start.

“I think (this is) a huge opportunity for the Prime Minister to really set out his vision now for the country,” Ms Turley said.

“Obviously we’ve had quite a challenging couple of weeks. I don’t think anyone would deny that.

“And I think this has come at a perfect time for us to really speak to the country, instead of to ourselves, and to set out the vision that he’s got here.”

Labour has identified Reform UK, with its five MPs but consistent poll leads, as the main threat to a second term in office.

“The polls speak clearly. But I think a big part of this is actually just people’s sense of frustration,” Ms Turley said.

“We have to make sure that there is a decent, positive vision for the country, and we don’t allow the sort of frustration, or the fact that times are tough, to allow people to be lured by fake promises, a party that has no solutions, that just exploits division and grievance.”

Redcar MP Ms Turley said the party had to appeal to communities which felt they had been “neglected” by Westminster.

“They feel that they haven’t been invested in and that’s what they’re angry about. And of course we came in promising change, but it’s very, very hard to deliver the kind of instant change that people want to see within a year,” she said.

“We fixed the foundations in our first year and now we’ve got to make sure that we deliver so that people can see and feel that tangible change in their pockets and in their communities around them, and show them there are solutions and there is a way to get real, positive change for people.”