Burnham latest: PM hopeful one step closer to No 10 after Starmer ally rules himself out of leadership race
Andy Burnham is the favourite to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader – and his path to Number 10 has become slightly easier
By Dan Haygarth
Labour minister Catherine Atkinson said she would "absolutely" back Andy Burnham as leader, insisting he is a "hugely experienced politician".
"Andy Burnham is a hugely experienced politician. He was a Home Office minister, he was a Treasury minister, he was health secretary, and he has shown that he is able to deliver when he was mayor of Greater Manchester", she said.
"I was in Makerfield for the last couple of weekends before the election, and for me, I saw hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who were really inspired to be doing their bit to see hope overcoming division.
"And that's what I think politics should be about, not about the kind of donations you get from crypto billionaires, so I think that Andy could be the could be that leader, and we will see what the rest of the Parliamentary Labour Party thinks."
Pressed on whether she backs him as Labour leader, she told Sky News: "Yes, I would absolutely back Andy to be leader, but I am conscious that we have got a prime minister in Keir Starmer who has always been putting the country first. I think that's what he was seeking to do in the decision that he took."