From Keir Starmer’s interview with Sky News’ Beth Rigby:
BETH: Would you bring Burnham back into your cabinet?
KEIR STARMER: Oh, Andy is a great asset. And, yes, I want him to have a big role in government. When I came in to…
BETH: Are you going to call him at the weekend and invite him back into your cabinet?
KEIR STARMER: Well I’m sure I’ll talk to Andy after the weekend, of course I will. I’ve spoken to him many times in recent weeks. and when I came into politics in 2015, it was Andy Burnham’s team that I joined, and we worked very well together. He’s a huge asset. He’s been a fantastic mayor in Manchester. And if he comes back into Parliament, I hope he wins in the by-election. He’ll be a fantastic asset for our party and for the country.
Starmer added: “I don’t feel angry, I don’t feel bitter, because I remind myself it is an incredible privilege to be the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom” and said he ‘wants to’ lead the Labour Party into the next general election. Good luck…
He also implied a contest should be delayed until post-Manchester mayoral election: “If he does win, we’ve immediately got a Manchester mayoralty to fight and that starts straight away. It’s very important to us that we win that.” See if that strategy works…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”