UK PM insists will stand in any leadership contest, after Burnham win

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Keir Starmer has insisted he will stand in a Labour leadership contest, should one be triggered after Andy Burnham returns to Westminster following his victory in the Makerfield by-election.

The UK prime minister is under pressure to hand over power to Burnham, who defied national trends to increase Labour’s share of the vote in a seat where Nigel Farage’s Reform UK made sweeping gains in last month’s local elections.

But Starmer insisted he will not ‘walk away’ from Downing Street, setting Labour up for a showdown over the premiership.

In his victory speech after winning the Makerfield by-election, Burnham said Labour had a ‘final chance to change’.

By David Lynch, Izzie Addison, David Hughes and Eleanor Barlow, Press Association

Press Association: News

source: PA

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