Starmer ‘getting on with the job’ despite Burnham’s victory, says minister

Katrine Bussey, Press Association Scotland Political Editor

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is “getting on with the job”, a UK Government minister has said, despite Andy Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield setting up a possible leadership challenge to the Labour leader.

Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill hailed the Greater Manchester mayor’s victory, saying he will be a “great new Member of Parliament and a great champion”.

With Mr Burnham now back in the Commons, the door is open for him to challenge the Prime Minister for his job – amid speculation former health secretary Wes Streeting could fire the starting gun on a leadership contest as early as next week.

Ms McNeill however was clear that as it stands there is no vacancy in Downing Street, and she urged party colleagues to “crack on” with their current jobs.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast, the Labour MP said: “I’m a member of the Prime Minister’s Government and proud to be so.

“I support the Prime Minister, I think we should all get on with jobs we were sent to Westminster to do.

“The Prime Minister has this week been at the G7, I myself last week was in China promoting trade with Scotland.

“We have got serious jobs to do and we should crack on with doing them.”

Ms McNeill stressed: “There is no leadership contest, let’s be absolutely clear about that.”

Instead of a leadership contest, she argued the next task for Labour is to retain the Greater Manchester mayoralty, following Mr Burnham’s Makerfield success.

She said his victory had shown that “when the Labour Party comes together, we can win” and that the party could “absolutely beat Reform”.

Ms McNeill declared: “The next general election, it looks like is going to be a fight between Labour and Reform, and that is a fight we must win.

“But before that general election we have an electoral test in the mayoralty of Greater Manchester, which we simply must win.

“So in the same way the entire Labour family came together for this by-election, the entire Labour family needs to come together again to make sure we retain the mayoralty of Greater Manchester for Labour.”

Adding that incumbent governments across the globe “are feeling pressure”, she said Labour had to deliver change for people “much faster” and be “more ambitious”.

Ms McNeill said: “People are so hungry for change, and we have to listen to that hunger and we have to meet it.

“The change that we are delivering has to be much faster and more ambitious, there’s no doubt about that.”

Asked if Sir Keir could remain in Number 10, she insisted: “The Prime Minister has said he is going to get on with the job he was sent to Westminster to do and sent to Downing Street to do.

“We got a resounding mandate in 2024, since then there has been pressure on us as an incumbent Government, and that is mirrored right across the world. It is because people are frustrated – and I understand and appreciate and indeed share their frustration.”

But she added: “There is no contest for the leadership of the Labour Party because we have got a Prime Minister getting on with the job.”