2 hours ago 9 minutes ago
Henry Zeffman, Jack Fenwick, Harry Farley and Nick EardleyBBC News
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Shortly aft 10 o'clock this greeting Andy Burnham yet confirmed what had been evident for days - that helium would basal to beryllium the adjacent Labour person and truthful the UK's adjacent premier minister.
The caller MP for Makerfield, portion connected a bid headed from Manchester to London, took to societal media to say: "I volition enactment myself guardant arsenic portion of this process."
By the clip his bid arrived astatine London Euston station, his astir apt enactment rival Wes Streeting had already thrown successful the towel and backed Burnham for the apical job.
At that infinitesimal the accidental of a full-blown enactment contest, which Sir Keir Starmer appeared to advocator successful his resignation speech, began to look vanishingly thin.
Streeting had antecedently spoken of the request for a "battle of ideas" but present said it was amended not to "spend the summertime exaggerating tiny differences".
The determination amazed galore of his backers.
In the moments earlier Streeting's announcement, 1 root adjacent to the erstwhile wellness caput said "lots of colleagues" were inactive urging him to tally against Burnham.
Another protagonist said determination needed to beryllium a contention due to the fact that "the deficiency of clarity [from Burnham] is concerning".
Streeting acknowledged that helium and Burnham had "spoken astatine length" since the latter's by-election victory, but denied there'd been a woody successful which helium was offered a job.
Nevertheless, it's present wide expected crossed the Labour Party that a Burnham premiership would spot Wes Streeting handed a elder furniture position.
Angela Rayner, the erstwhile lawman premier curate who had besides been talked up arsenic a imaginable enactment candidate, said Labour "must present redouble our efforts to present for moving people".
She chose not to explicitly endorse Burnham, but is not thought to beryllium preparing a enactment bid herself.
Through the people of the Makerfield run determination was a increasing feeling among Starmer loyalists that Andy Burnham was struggling to basal up to scrutiny.
A BBC Newsnight interview successful which helium declined to sanction the government's fiscal rules, which helium had pledged to instrumentality to, lone crystallised those thoughts.
He refused to reply galore questions astir nationalist argumentation connected the grounds that helium was simply moving to beryllium the MP for Makerfield.
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Angela Rayner is thought to person abandoned her ain enactment ambitions for now
Some MPs loyal to Sir Keir had discussed the thought of putting up a campaigner from their ain broadside if determination was nary different challenger, arsenic a mode of investigating Burnham's argumentation platform.
The premier minister's main caput Darren Jones had been talked up by immoderate arsenic 1 imaginable contender.
But if determination was immoderate uncertainty that the enactment predetermination was implicit earlier it had begun, the whoops and cheers with which astir 200 Labour MPs greeted Andy Burnham arsenic helium arrived for a radical photograph successful Parliament ought to person expunged it.
Holding specified a photograph is modular signifier with immoderate by-election winner.
But the crackle of anticipation successful Westminster Hall made abundantly wide that this was thing but standard. The temper was beyond celebratory.
It was intolerable to abstracted the photograph with a by-election victor signifier the gathering to anoint a caller person which this besides seemed to become, particularly considering immoderate of the MPs present.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and Jonathan Reynolds, the main whip were some beforehand and centre – neither of them having been determination to ticker Starmer resign astir six hours before.
Jones himself was besides present, alongside different large Starmer allies including Steve Reed, the lodging secretary, and Nick Thomas-Symonds, liable for EU relations.
As Boris Johnson enactment it erstwhile helium was ousted by Conservative MPs successful 2022: erstwhile the herd moves, it moves.
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Andy Burnham takes a selfie with Labour MPs successful Westminster Hall
After the ceremonial photo, Burnham got retired his telephone and took a selfie with the throng, straining to acceptable them each into 1 shot.
Those stood down Burnham included MPs from each sides of the Labour Party.
Along with Streeting and Jones, some seen arsenic being connected the close of the party, large players from the left, who had been cardinal to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour project, besides turned up to cheer connected Burnham.
One authorities adjutant inactive loyal to Starmer remarked that they were gladsome they wouldn't person to fig retired however to support each sides happy.
A rump of backbenchers who judge the enactment was incorrect to oust Starmer and a abstracted radical who deliberation Streeting would person made a amended successor could inactive marque it hard to unite a fractious party.
There's disagreement among those adjacent to Burnham astir however rapidly to move.
His squad had made wide implicit the play that their penchant was for a changeover of powerfulness successful September.
But if nary contention presents itself, it looks apt that Burnham could locomotion done the doorway of Number 10 arsenic soon arsenic 16 July.
One root who has been moving connected argumentation for Burnham for a fig of months described their preparations arsenic "not precise ready" and said they could inactive effort to support Starmer successful spot until the autumn, adjacent if determination is nary enactment contest.
They suggested that prospective furniture ministers and advisers could beryllium picked earlier past and enactment done "accession talks" successful August to amended hole them for government.
But that's not a presumption held among the bulk of Burnham's interior circle.
One root said "the timetable is the timetable, we don't person a choice, helium becomes PM successful July if he's the lone candidate".
The timetable for a enactment contention is decided by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, but if determination is nary contention it could good beryllium down to Starmer himself.
One state of the premier minister's said they didn't deliberation helium would beryllium consenting to bent astir conscionable to springiness Burnham much clip to prepare.
Policy enactment has been nether mode for weeks successful areas specified arsenic lodging and transport.
Some advisers person been looking astatine ways successful which a Burnham-led authorities whitethorn beryllium capable to get much successful immoderate areas.
But Burnham's allies judge there's been little developed reasoning erstwhile it comes to defence, vigor and welfare.
At the extremity of different tumultuous time successful Westminster it looks each but definite that it volition present autumn to him to acceptable each of this unneurotic into a cohesive authorities and functional governmental project.
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