By Stefan Boscia
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has called on Sir Keir Starmer to show more “fight” against the government, after a day of fuelling speculation that he wants to be the next Labour leader.
Burnham told an event at the Labour conference today that he supported Starmer, but that “we need to get a bit more on the front foot and say we are going to fight” against Liz Truss’ tax cuts.
Burnham had a resurgence as a national political figure in 2020, after he publicly fought the government over Covid funding for Manchester.
The former health secretary shot into favouritism with bookmakers to become the next Labour leader last year and he has never quashed speculation he wants the job.
He refused to say during a Sky News interview today whether he wanted to become Labour leader and he also criticised the party for not giving him an official speaking slot in a GB News interview.
He issued a policy challenge to Starmer during a fringe event, telling the Labour leader that he must reverse all of the government’s cuts to Income Tax and re-nationalise the railways.
“We need to get a bit more on the front foot and say we are going to fight this,” he said.
“Where is the fight?”
Burnham ran for the Labour leadership unsuccessfully on two occasions – in 2010 and 2015.
He left parliament in 2017, after he was elected as the inaugural Greater Manchester mayor.
When asked today if he would make a good Prime Minister by Sky News, he said: “I think people are seeing the real me more.”
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