Sir Keir Starmer is set to hand Andy Burnham access to the civil service “as soon as possible”. 

After announcing his resignation, Starmer is preparing for a transition in government over the next four weeks. A government spokesperson confirmed that Burnham and other prospective Prime Ministers would be able to engage with senior civil servants in Whitehall before the Labour Party opens nominations for the leadership. 

Access talks normally take place between opposition parties and civil servants in the weeks leading up to polling day. They are allowed, as part of a convention, to give different potential Prime Ministers time to work with advisers and administrators, explain priorities, and clarify any operational aspects of governance. 

The spokesperson added that Starmer had authorised engagements to take place “as soon as possible”. 

Burnham’s talks with Whitehall

“The Prime Minister has agreed with the Cabinet Secretary that access talks can take place with prospective candidates for the Labour leadership and before formal nominations have closed,” the spokesperson explained. 

“Access talks will be led and coordinated by the Cabinet Secretary in line with the Cabinet manual.”

Nominations for the Labour leadership will only open on 9 July, with MPs having to put themselves forward within a one-week window. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour officials of abandoning national security, as speculation over the leadership could last a month. 

Should an opponent of Burnham find 81 MPs to back a leadership bid, the change of Prime Minister would only come on 1 September after a full contest has taken place. It has been suggested that some of Starmer’s allies want Darren Jones or another more moderate Labour figure to challenge Burnham to allow policy proposals to face scrutiny and avoid a “coronation” for Burnham.

Starmer on Defence Investment Plan

Starmer is also keen to plough ahead with his own agenda over the next few weeks as he is expected to travel to Ankara on 7 July for this year’s Nato summit. 

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said on Monday that the government was still prepared to publish the much-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) before the summit. 

The procurement strategy paper is expected to set out full funding plans, including small spending cuts to other departments’ capital budgets. The publication of the DIP was pushed back after John Healey resigned as defence secretary, as he complained about the Treasury’s failure to commit to raising expenditure to three per cent as a share of GDP by 2030. 

MPs have complained that Burnham would like to have influence over the DIP before it is published. 

Starmer’s hopes of boosting ties with the EU before he leaves office also appear to have been scuppered after the European Council president, Antonio Costa, said a summit would be delayed to allow a new Prime Minister to plan for the terms of relations. 

Nick Thomas-Symonds, EU relations minister, said he was “disappointed” by the expected delay to the summit.