Starmer has spoken about the prospect of Burnham taking up the mantle in Gorton and Denton were Andrew Gwynne to stand down:
“It is a very early stage, and the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party will set out the process in the usual way, as it always does for by-elections. Andy Burnham is doing an excellent job as Mayor of Manchester. We work very closely together. Last year, we were responding together to the terrible attack on a synagogue in Manchester. More recently, we were working together on Northern Powerhouse Rail. I think Andy would acknowledge that working with this government has been much better than the experience he had of working with previous governments.”
This echoes the long-held barbed Starmerite warning: Serve your full term as mayor. Will Burnham heed it?
UPDATE: Burnham says he is “in the dark” about Gwynne:
“It’s not been confirmed to me. I’ve had no contact on this issue with Andrew or anyone close to him. I know him of old, of course, but I’m as in the dark about this as anyone… People shouldn’t rush to conclusions.”
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