A future leader?
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has proposed that the Labor Party be chaired “in the distant future”.
When asked on Sky News whether he would lead the party on reports that he would be a frontrunner to replace Sir Keir Starmer, Burnham said, “I was elected mayor of Greater Manchester – this is my focus.
“I’ve left Westminster politics, I’m not a MP – you have to be a MP to stand for the leader of the Labor Party and I am not aware that the rules have changed.
“So no, my focus is here. In the distant future, if the party ever feels that they need me, I am here and they should get in touch. “
He added, “I’ve tried to be the leader twice and it never worked, so I’m under no illusions that it never worked for me in the past.
“I feel like I’m in the best job in the world and we have a massive job ahead of us, but I’m here to help the Labor Party when they need it – but they have to change, let’s really get that straight.
“You have lost an emotional connection with parts of the country that will take a lot of work to come back. I think the party has to look a lot for these results and understand why we did well in Wales, places like Greater Manchester, and it has to really get into English decentralization and build from the bottom up – that’s what these results tell them. “