Labour leadership contest speculation ‘froth and nonsense’ – Lisa Nandy

Mr Streeting, the ex-health secretary, on Saturday set out his desire for a “new special relationship” with the EU, and to eventually rejoin the trade bloc.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, was meanwhile probed over his support for returning to the EU as he seeks to stand in a Brexit-voting, Reform UK-facing parliamentary constituency.

Amid an emerging Labour leadership debate, Ms Nandy was asked on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme whether she believed Sir Keir would leave No 10 by the summer.

“No, I don’t,” she replied.

Ms Nandy added: “I have spoken to the Prime Minister several times over the last week and he was very clear with the Cabinet on Tuesday that if people want to challenge him there is a process for doing that, there is a way to trigger a leadership contest, to be leader of the Labour Party and to succeed him as Prime Minister.”

No-one has yet triggered a leadership contest “despite the absolute feverish speculation”, the minister insisted.

The Wigan MP said: “Every hour on the hour for the last week I’ve read that Wes Streeting was about to launch a challenge; that Andy Burnham was about to contest every seat in Greater Manchester, including my own; that Angela Rayner was written off, that Angela Rayner was now challenging; and most of it has turned out to be just froth and nonsense.”

The senior minister also used her Sunday morning appearance on the airwaves to rebuke Mr Streeting’s plans for a return to the EU.

Ms Nandy told Sky News: “If rejoining the EU is the answer, then essentially what we’re saying to people is ‘life was fine in 2015, we just need to go back there’.

“I know Wes is coming up to campaign in the by-election quite soon. He will hear loud and clear from people in places like Wigan, Ashton, Winstanley, across Makerfield, that that is absolutely not the case. And the answer has to be bigger.”

While the senior minister insisted she backed Sir Keir, she also suggested an affinity for Mr Burnham over Mr Streeting, telling Sky News the Greater Manchester mayor is “squarely focused” on issues such as the cost of living and transport, adding this is “exactly where we need to be”.

Jostling over Labour’s future direction on Europe began as the party debates how to move on from its bruising election defeats last week.

Speaking at the Progress think tank’s conference in central London on Saturday, Mr Streeting described Brexit as a “catastrophic mistake”, and broke the ice on a topic which Labour has long avoided revisiting.

“We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union,” he said.

The policy offer could also be read as a direct challenge to Mr Burnham, who has previously expressed support for rejoining the EU, but may wish to avoid directly speaking about the issue as he bids to become Labour’s candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.

The constituency on the edge of Greater Manchester was a Brexit-voting area in the referendum held nearly 10 years ago on June 23 2016.

Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage was among the most prominent supporters of leaving the EU, won every council ward in the Makerfield constituency in last week’s local elections, securing around half the vote, while Labour won only a little more than a quarter.

Mr Burnham told ITV News there was a “long-term case” for advocating to rejoin the EU, but insisted he was not campaigning on that issue in the upcoming Makerfield by-election, his potential route back to Parliament.

Labour MP Josh Simons, who announced on Thursday that he would give up the Makerfield seat to make way for Mr Burnham, said the party should “come together” to back him.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “If Andy wins the by-election, my view is that the different bits of the party should come together behind Andy.”

Asked if that would mean “the end of Keir Starmer”, Mr Simons responded: “By implication, yeah.”

He also denied reports he decided to give his seat up for Mr Burnham a year ago.

The MP told the BBC: “That’s not quite what the report says.

“It says I had a pint with Andy Burnham and we talked about politics, which is absolutely true.”

Mr Simons said he made the decision “two days ago”, after discussing it with his wife.