Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has yet again refused to rule out a run for Labour leader as Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity plummets to levels lower than Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage.
Burnham, 54, was swamped by adoring supporters after holding a fringe event at the Museum of Liverpool to discuss devolution and his plans for his third term in Manchester.
Following the event, the King of the North spoke to GB News about his plans for his third term and swerved questions about when he could head back to Westminster.
Burnham, who served as Health Secretary and ran for the Labour leadership before returning to Manchester, confirmed he will serve out his full term until the next election in 2028.
Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham
PA
The next Greater Manchester mayoral election is expected to be called one year before the next General Election.
Speaking to GB News, Burnham said: “I am committed to my third term, absolutely. I’m not planning to head back to Westminster any time soon.”
When asked if that would mean Burnham would never head back, the Greater Manchester Mayor chuckled.
A Labour leadership bid before 2029 remains unlikely as it gives Burnham just a few months before Britons will head to the polls.
However, Burnham's comments yet again kept the door open for a Labour leadership run in the future.
Burnham is one of the most popular Labour politicians at the moment, with the last mayoral election resulting in the 54-year-old picking up 63.4 per cent of the vote.
Andy Burnham attended a fringe event at the Museum of Liverpool
GB NEWS
The vote share was well above the number Labour received in the 2024 General Election, with pro-Palestine candidates and Reform UK putting up strong showings in a number of seats.
Burnham is the third most popular Labour politician, YouGov’s tier list has revealed.
The Greater Manchester Mayor has a 60 per cent fame rating, with a popularity score of 26 per cent.
Burnham’s score puts him level in terms of popularity with ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown and one-point behind London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan
PA
However, Starmer’s popularity has taken a hammering in recent weeks after the Prime Minister pushed through controversial measures to axe Winter Fuel Payments for 10 million pensioners and initiated the early release of prisoners to free up space behind bars.
Two opinion polls have laid bare the difficult situation Starmer finds himself in just 80 days into entering Downing Street.
Opinium put the Prime Minister's net approval at -26 per cent, one point behind Sunak on -25 per cent.
Starmer had registered a positive net approval rating of 19 per cent after pulling off a landslide victory on July 4 and now finds himself trailing Farage whose score sits at -12 per cent.
More in Common yesterday revealed that 60 per cent of Britons now believe Labour will lose the 2029 General Election.
Keir Starmer
PAThe same research also suggested the public were split on whether Starmer would lead Labour into the contest.
Fourty-eight per cent of those surveyed said they think he will still be in charge, whilst 52 per cent said they did not think that Starmer would still be Prime Minister by 2029.
The survey fuels further speculation about who could eventually succeed Starmer.
Burnham finished in a distant second when Jeremy Corbyn romped to victory in 2015.
The King of the North received 19 per cent of the vote, with Corbyn eventually hoovering up 59.5 per cent.