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That ends The Telegraph’s live coverage as Labour divides over Andy Burnham’s potential leadership run.
Here is a brief round-up of the biggest developments:
- Andy Burnham has insisted that he will stick to the fiscal rules after his economic advisers repeatedly called for them to be loosened.
- Lord Jim O’Neill, a former Treasury chief who is now advising Mr Burnham, told Sky News: “I don’t think you’d necessarily have to rip up the fiscal rules. I think you just need to be bolder about borrowing to invest.”
- Sir Keir Starmer has “no authority” and should hand the keys to Downing Street to Andy Burnham, Lord Falconer, a Labour peer and former justice secretary, said.
- More than 100 of Sir Keir Starmer’s own MPs have now called on him to resign. The Telegraph has compiled this full list of the Labour MPs who have broken cover to call for change in No 10.
- Both Restore, Rupert Lowe’s political party, and the Green Party announced their candidates for the Greater Manchester mayoral election.
Green Party tears itself apart over internal complaints
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Since Zack Polanski became leader last year, the Green Party has been consumed by factionalism, infighting and accusations of anti-Semitism, writes Sabrina Miller, Whitehall Correspondent.
Now the party’s own disciplinary committee is tearing itself apart as it tries to deal with a mounting backlog of complaints.
Members of the disciplinary committee, who are responsible for investigating and managing grievances within the Green Party, have published two differing reports into the group’s failings.
While both papers acknowledged that “resource constraints have limited proactive case management”, they disagreed over whether Mehmood Naqshbandi, the former chairman, should shoulder the blame for the committee’s shortcomings.
The so-called “majority report”, written by Bernard Ekbery and supposedly representing the majority view of committee members, claims that the chairman’s productivity was inhibited by “personal circumstances”.
Burnham allies confident in leadership ascent
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Allies of Andy Burnham are increasingly confident in a ‘coronation-style’ transfer of Labour leadership to the returning MP.
The Manchester mayor’s decisive by-election win in Makerfield, where he secured more than half of the vote led to a fresh rebellion amongst Sir Keir’s top team as Cabinet ministers told the Prime Minister to stand aside on Friday.
A Burnham ally told the Guardian: “We passed every single ridiculous test that they set – to win the way Andy has won, we smashed through every single ceiling they set, I think there couldn’t be a clearer message.
“This is an existential crisis for us, and it’s proven that there’s another way you can do things that navigates us through that.
“And I just think it’s unwise and sad that Keir and his team want to, at this point, not acknowledge or accept that. They’ve got time obviously, so we’ll see what happens.”
Greens announce Greater Manchester mayoral candidate
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The Green Party has announced their candidate for the Manchester mayoral election.
Geraldine Coggins, a current Greater Manchester councillor and “straight talking anti-austerity campaigner”, the party has said, will run for the mayoralty.
— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) June 20, 2026Meet Geraldine Coggins.
Greater Manchester councillor, Green group leader, straight talking anti-austerity campaigner - and your Green candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor. pic.twitter.com/3JMUHR7gdG
Tories: ‘It doesn’t matter who replaces Starmer’
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The Conservatives have said it “doesn’t matter who replaces Starmer”, as the party attacks Labour over higher taxes and more borrowing.
Record debt interest payments fuel fiscal rules pressure
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Pressure on Andy Burnham to stick to the fiscal rules comes as record debt interest payments pushed up public borrowing in the month before his election.
Rachel Reeves borrowed £23.3bn in May to plug the gap between tax revenues and public spending, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This was well above the £18.9bn forecast by City economists and the highest deficit for any May since lockdown.
Welfare payments also rose £1.2bn to £28.4bn because payments are tied to the cost of living.
Shadow chancellor: Labour has ‘debt addiction’
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Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, has accused Labour of harbouring a “debt addiction” over Andy Burnham’s advisors pushing for more Government borrowing.
The Tory frontbencher wrote: “Rachel Reeves has already increased planned borrowing by a quarter of a trillion – but given half a chance Burnham will borrow even more.
“We will never fix our economy when the country is being run by people who think borrowing, spending and taxing is the answer to every problem. Labour have a serious debt addiction.”
— Mel Stride (@MelJStride) June 20, 2026This tells you everything you need to know about Burnham's plans.
Rachel Reeves has already increased planned borrowing by a quarter of a TRILLION - but given half a chance Burnham will borrow even more.
We will never fix our economy when the country is being run by people who… https://t.co/MJPpGKeY21
Wes Streeting is about to become Andy Burnham’s stalking horse
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The entire point of Burnham’s standing in the by-election – indeed, the motivation for the previous MP to stand down and cause the contest in the first place – was to give the former Manchester mayor the opportunity to succeed Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
Yet the actual process of how that might happen is something that his entourage seems oddly reluctant to set out in detail. The favoured form of words used by Burnham himself and by one of his closest lieutenants Louise Haigh has been: “If there is a contest, he will enter it.”
If we are to take this pledge at its face value – and in a campaign as meticulously planned as Andy Burnham’s third and final tilt at the top, we must assume that every dot and comma has been employed only after extensive focus group research – then he will not wield the knife – presumably on the assumption that he would not, thereafter, wear the crown.
So he needs someone else to clamber up the side of the trench and march towards the sound of gunfire first. But who?
There was a well-reported meeting between Burnham and Wes Streeting, the former health secretary and leadership rival, in Makerfield towards the end of the campaign. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall in that room!
Restore: Greater Manchester can vote for us
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The good people of Greater Manchester will have the opportunity to vote for Restore Britain.
— Restore Britain (@RestoreBritain) June 20, 2026
Restore to stand candidate in Greater Manchester mayoral election
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Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe’s political party, will stand a candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral election.
The Restore candidate is set to be announced “early next week”, according to Mr Lowe.
The move will further set back Reform’s lofty aims for the mayoral election, after Restore took 6.8pc of the Makerfield by-election vote on Thursday.
The vote will take place on July 30.
— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) June 20, 2026Restore Britain will stand a candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral election.
Announcement to come early next week...
Labour’s biggest union: Miliband must not become chancellor
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Andy Burnham must not make Ed Miliband his chancellor if he becomes prime minister, Labour’s biggest union backer has said.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, has emerged as a vocal critic of the Energy Secretary over his net zero agenda.
Last week, The Telegraph revealed that Mr Miliband was pushing for the top job at the Treasury if Mr Burnham became prime minister.
On Saturday, Ms Graham told The Times: “It is no secret that I disagree with Ed on almost every issue relating to a workers’ transition. Ed only seems to be interested in one side of the equation, rushing Britain to net zero with almost no thought for jobs, skills and national security.
“In my view, a Labour chancellor needs a vision for Britain that understands the skills we have, nurtures those skills and sees Britain as an industrial force that can lead in industries, not decimate them.
“Good investment in British industry is a no-brainer. Anyone who does not get that it matters where things are made and produced should not be chancellor.”
Haigh tipped for Cabinet comeback
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Louise Haigh is being tipped for a return to the Cabinet if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister.
Ms Haigh quit as transport secretary last November after it emerged she had failed to disclose a fraud conviction dating back a decade.
She played a central role in Mr Burnham’s Makerfield by-election campaign and a source on the soft-Left said her recent essays as a backbencher proved “the thinking is being done on the economy”.
The source said: “Andy been pretty open about what his priorities are – signalling towards electoral reform by a manifesto commitment in the next election, the house-building programme both social and otherwise, essential utilities and bringing them into public ownership so transport, energy and water.
“That’s basically it in terms of a top level policy programme. I would be shocked if Lou doesn’t go to one of those departments.”
What an Andy Burnham premiership would look like
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For a man who always claimed to despise Westminster politics, it was Whitehall’s worst-kept secret that Andy Burnham was desperate to return.
He eventually made his intentions clear, using an episode of the BBC’s Question Time to declare that he would look to oust the Prime Minister on the back of a win in the Makerfield by-election.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester said: “I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same.
“So that’s the only question… I’ve said to my team, let’s have a proper look at this and let’s develop a policy.”
Backed by dozens of Labour MPs on the soft Left of the party, allies of the mayor said that he was preparing to announce a “radical rewiring” of the state that would set out a 10-year growth plan and reject Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system in favour of proportional representation.
Changing leader could cost Labour election, warns minister
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A Government minister has suggested changing leader could cost Labour the next general election.
Catherine Atkinson, who became a justice minister last month, warned her colleagues they risked the same outcome as the Tories, who changed prime minister twice before suffering a historic defeat at the last general election.
Ms Atkinson told BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions: “I do think [Andy Burnham] will be an exceptional MP for Makerfield, a brilliant addition to the Labour Party and a brilliant addition to national politics. But I don’t want to see a leadership election.
“I want him and others who are hugely talented, like Wes Streeting and Al Carns, to play a big part in our politics because they do bring incredible talent and experience. But I want stability and focus and dignified politics when there is so much that we need to get done.
“And we saw the consequences of the constant change of prime ministers under the Conservatives, it wasn’t edifying, and we cannot afford to be distracted. There is just too much to do.”
Will the real Andy Burnham please stand up?
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“This is a final chance to change,” said Andy Burnham in his Makerfield by-election victory speech. He was referring to the Labour Party, but those who know him saw a delicious irony in that phrase.
Because change is a word that sums up Burnham’s attitude to his politics. His doubters see him as a political chameleon, changing his colours to fit the political mood.
He wants to be seen as an outsider, riding to the country’s rescue from his northern stronghold, yet most of his working life has been spent in Westminster.
Burnham has allied himself at various times with Sir Tony Blair, David Blunkett, Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn. His views on everything from Europe to ID cards to Israel have been kept in a state of flux, ready to be moulded around the most expedient policy of the time.
Read more: Burnham would be forced to reveal his true self in No 10
Sunak: Burnham needs a clear and achievable plan
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Andy Burnham needs a “clear and achievable plan” if he is to become prime minister, Rishi Sunak has said.
Mr Sunak, who was in Downing Street from October 2022 to July 2024, warned the Labour leadership hopeful of “the trials of incumbency” in the wake of the Makerfield by-election.
He said: “First, political capital depreciates more quickly than ever before. That Starmer and Merz are both facing such leadership speculation less than two years after winning elections is an illustration of that.
“Burnham must recognise that if he reaches No 10, he’ll never have more power than on his first day in the job. It is vital he has a clear and achievable plan for what he wants to do in those opening hours.”
Writing for The Times, Mr Sunak continued: “Burnham shouldn’t want to become PM by default... I remember on the morning after Boris Johnson dropped out in October 2022, I kept suggesting to my team that we should want a contest, that it would be good for us.
“They assumed that I was just emotionally preparing for another candidate getting the necessary nominations and having to go through a leadership election. But I actually meant it. Without one, your mandate is weak, and you end up being bound by commitments that aren’t your priorities.”
Burnham could consider ‘wholesale’ Cabinet clear-out
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Andy Burnham could consider a “wholesale” clear-out of Sir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet, The Telegraph has been told.
A soft-Left source suggested Mr Burnham would replace almost all of Sir Keir’s top team if he were to succeed him in No 10.
The source said: “I’d be surprised if anyone else kept their position that wasn’t Shabana, to be completely honest. I think that’s more him wanting to indicate that we take immigration seriously.
“It feels like it’s going to be a pretty wholesale change. I think the primary problem for Andy is how he shows Labour isn’t actually a damp squib.”
The Telegraph understands that Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, will remain in the Cabinet if Mr Burnham becomes prime minister, and is expected to maintain her current portfolio at the Home Office.
The source added: “[Burnham] says he’s going to be doing policy drastically differently to the current administration – and I don’t see how you keep any of them in post in that case.”
Labour minister hits out at colleagues for causing ‘chaos’
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A Labour minister loyal to Sir Keir Starmer has accused his colleagues of causing “chaos” by seeking to oust the Prime Minister.
Mike Tapp, a Home Office minister, also attacked the media for reporting on Sir Keir’s woes, claiming they were too keen for him to leave office.
Mr Tapp said: “I’ve consistently been against the chaos my party are causing. I’ll always put country first.”
In a post on X sent in response to a BBC Newsnight clip, he added: “Why are these journalists so keen for the PM to go? It’s embarrassing.”
Karl Turner, the suspended Labour MP, said: “Dunno Mike, might it be because it’s terrible for democracy that the PM has got less authority than myself. A suspended member of the PLP. That could well be it. It’s done. It’s over. It’s finished. Now he needs to do the right thing and say when he’s standing down as leader.”
‘Get ready for Burnham vs Badenoch’
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This wasn’t just a win for Labour. It was a win for the parliamentary system as we know it. Two-party politics is back, with a third tagging along for light relief.
The leaders of all those parties will be, once Sir Keir Starmer is removed, recognisably human, and they will now have to argue – actually debate – real policies and their effects on the population.
So Andy Burnham’s triumph in Makerfield was a good result for the country. Instead of the eternal jockeying, deal-making behind closed doors and post-electoral coalitions that a multi-party system inevitably involves, we will have head-on confrontation between leaders who have nowhere to hide.
Their messages will not – cannot – simply be emotive calls designed to arouse anger and resentment. That kind of pitch might have made for a satisfying moment in which the electorate could vent its frustrations at a governing class that was refusing to take its concerns about unlimited immigration seriously.
Burnham ally: We’ve noted who didn’t help out in Makerfield
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An ally of Andy Burnham has warned Labour it was “noted” who did not put much time or effort into supporting his by-election campaign in Makerfield.
They told The Telegraph: “It’s certainly noted who didn’t bother to spend any time up in Makerfield.
“All these people will be scrambling not to be the last bison at the edge of the herd.”
Labour ‘rushes through’ mayoral voting changes to block Reform
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Labour has been accused of rushing through voting changes to try to prevent a Reform UK candidate becoming the next mayor of Greater Manchester.
On Tuesday night, peers approved a motion to change the way regional mayors are elected. It will apply to whoever replaces Andy Burnham after the former Greater Manchester mayor won the Makerfield by-election, forcing him to stand down.
Mayoral contests will now be fought using the supplementary vote system, rather than the first-past-the-post method.
A three-horse race is expected in Greater Manchester between Labour, Reform UK and the Green Party. The contest will take place on July 30.
‘The herd has moved really quickly’
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A Labour MP has said “the herd has moved really quickly” against Sir Keir Starmer and in support of Andy Burnham after the Makerfield by-election.
The senior figure echoed the memorable metaphor that Boris Johnson used to describe his dissenting Tory MPs as he reflected on the Prime Minister’s waning support among his own party.
They told The Telegraph: “I think you’re gonna just see all of these Starmer characters step out of the shadows and come to this realisation that the herd has moved really quickly.
“Everyone watches Planet Earth and it’s the same in politics. When the herd moves, you don’t want to be the last one there. And everyone loves a winner, don’t they? Journos love a winner, voters like a winner, Labour MPs like a winner.”
In a swipe at two of Sir Keir’s most prominent Cabinet loyalists, the MP added: “Steve Reed and Richard Hermer, you might be the last chaps to leave the bunker but don’t forget to leave the light on.”
Burnham’s £4bn Manchester new town delayed by two years
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Andy Burnham’s £4bn plan for a “new town” in Manchester has been dealt a blow after hundreds of homes were hit by building delays.
Homebuyers have been told that the completion date for more than 500 dwellings in the city has been pushed back by up to two years.
The delays are a setback to Manchester’s master plan for the development known as Victoria North, one of Labour’s priority housebuilding areas.
Hong Kong-based developer Far East Consortium (FEC) has been building the 5,500-home Red Bank Riverside district in partnership with Manchester city council and with millions of pounds of backing from Mr Burnham’s Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), as well as the Government.
Cabinet ministers tell Starmer: Stand aside for Burnham
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Cabinet ministers have told Sir Keir Starmer he must stand aside for Andy Burnham.
The Prime Minister is facing a moment of maximum political danger following Mr Burnham’s landslide victory in the Makerfield by-election and a victory rally that amounted to a demand for the Prime Minister to resign.
Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, is understood to have spoken to Sir Keir on Friday afternoon.
She is believed to have told him he must now set out a timeline for his departure ahead of a “transfer of power” to Mr Burnham without a leadership contest.
The 104 (and counting) Labour MPs calling on Starmer to quit
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More than 100 of Sir Keir Starmer’s own MPs have now called on him to resign.
The Prime Minister is facing calls to go from within his Cabinet after leading Labour to its worst set of local election results in history and Andy Burnham’s decisive win in the Makerfield by-election.
Under Labour Party rules any of Sir Keir’s would-be challengers need to secure the backing of 20 per cent of the parliamentary Labour Party – 81 MPs – to trigger a leadership contest.
While a greater portion of the party has already urged the Prime Minister to step down, those calling for a change in leadership are split along factional lines and have so far failed to unite around a challenger.
The Telegraph has compiled this full list of the Labour MPs who have broken cover to call for change in No 10.
‘A Burnham coup would be disastrous for Labour’
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The oddity of our political situation after Makerfield can be best expressed thus: two years in – usually a time of incumbent unpopularity – governing party wins by-election with stunningly good vote, writes Charles Moore.
Governing party then says it must get rid of leader. It sounds a bit mad.
We know the argument for what is now likely to happen – that Sir Keir Starmer is the most hated prime minister in human history, that Andy Burnham is “relatable”, and that this Government’s historic task is to ensure that “hope” (Labour) defeats “hate” (Reform). It has some plausibility, but is it coherent?
First, Sir Keir does not deserve hatred. He is not evil, extreme or even, by the standards of modern politics, notably selfish. He is just not an interesting, frank, decisive, adroit or innovative prime minister, and never will be. It is natural to make him the focus of all our frustrations and fears, but it misses the point.
For most of this century, most of our governing politicians – Labour and Conservative (and, in Scotland, the SNP) – have failed to analyse what is wrong. If Labour thinks it will be put right just by changing the leader in palace coups, that failure will continue.
Burnham adviser: Britain should borrow more
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One of Andy Burnham’s economic advisers has declared that Britain should borrow more money.
Borrowing costs have already risen after Mr Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield stoked fears of higher public spending.
The incoming MP for Makerfield has claimed he will adhere to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules but spooked investors last autumn when he said that Britain should not be “in hock” to the bond markets.
Lord O’Neill, a former Treasury chief who is now advising Mr Burnham, told Sky News: “I think the second part of the fiscal rule on borrowing to invest I think that could be explored a lot more, and not in a way that freaks out the financial markets.
“I don’t think you’d necessarily have to rip up the fiscal rules. I think you just need to be bolder about borrowing to invest.
“A lot of people right now, given Britain’s history for 30 years or more, think any kind of borrowing just means wasted money. But if you borrow for things that have really positive multiplier effects.”
Labour MPs demand new prime minister within weeks
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Labour MPs have demanded Sir Keir Starmer makes way for a new prime minister to take office within weeks.
Dr Zubir Ahmed and Peter Swallow were asked by the BBC’s Newsnight when they wanted to see a replacement for Sir Keir.
Dr Ahmed, who served under Wes Streeting at the Department of Health and quit the frontbench last month, said: “I want to see one in a matter of weeks. We owe that to the public.”
Mr Swallow, who became Labour’s first ever MP for Bracknell at the last general election in July 2024, added: “In the country’s interest, a swift transition is what we need.”
Lady Starmer leading fight for PM to stay on
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When Sir Keir Starmer hunkers down at Chequers this weekend and battles for his right to remain Prime Minister, one person – perhaps above all others – will be shaping his thinking.
The Prime Minister calls her his “rock”, to whom no areas of his life – from scheming MPs threatening his job to the challenges of the children’s homework – are beyond discussion.
Lady Victoria Starmer was by her husband’s side this week, accompanying him to the gathering of G7 world leaders in France ahead of the Makerfield by-election.
A protector of the family’s privacy – understandably given the intense scrutiny of 24-hour news cycles – Lady Starmer’s avoidance of a public profile does not mean she is apolitical.
In fact, according to three pro-Starmer figures hoping he can see off the leadership challenge from Andy Burnham, the newly-elected Makerfield MP, she is his ballast behind the scenes.
Public sees Burnham as stronger and more capable than Starmer
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Andy Burnham is seen by voters as a stronger and more capable leader than Sir Keir Starmer.
Thirty-nine per cent said Mr Burnham was a stronger leader than Sir Keir, a new YouGov poll showed, while 21 per cent opted for the current Prime Minister.
Thirty-nine per cent opted for the incoming MP for Makerfield when asked who they believed was more capable, while 26 per cent chose Sir Keir. Mr Burnham was also seen as having the right plan for Britain by 28 per cent to 24 per cent.
The polling indicated that the former mayor of Greater Manchester was also regarded as having the personal touch.
Mr Burnham was seen as having more personality than Sir Keir (42 per cent to 16 per cent), being more in touch with ordinary people (42 per cent to 19 per cent) and being more likeable (40 per cent to 22 per cent).
Burnham’s support will collapse, claim Starmer allies
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Andy Burnham’s support is likely to collapse once he faces “real scrutiny”, allies of Sir Keir Starmer have claimed.
A leaked memo circulated by supporters of the Prime Minister and obtained by The Guardian insisted Mr Burnham would struggle in a contest should he challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership.
“[Burnham] hasn’t faced any real scrutiny yet,” the memo said. “A true contest would expose him to questions that he hasn’t ever before had to answer and likely see his support wane as a result”
The dossier also referenced polling published days before the Makerfield by-election that showed the public now had a negative opinion of Mr Burnham overall, having had a positive view of him until last month.
The memo went on to insist the Labour membership “can change their views”, adding: “The membership has shown it is capable of significant volatility in its judgements on prospective candidates”
Lord Falconer: Starmer has no authority and must resign
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Sir Keir Starmer has “no authority” and should hand the keys to Downing Street to Andy Burnham, Lord Falconer has said.
The Labour peer and former justice secretary said Sir Keir’s premiership was no longer seen as viable by MPs and the public.
Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think we have to move as quickly as possible to resolve the position. The position is completely unmaintainable for the country, we have a Prime Minister who’s got absolutely no authority.
“The reason he’s got no authority is because everybody assumes that Andy Burnham is about to challenge for the leadership and everybody assumes he’s going to win.”
Lord Falconer added his advice to Sir Keir would be not to stand in any future leadership contest, adding: “That would be bad for the country. It’s also bad for the country that there’d be this further delay. There should be an agreed transition process in which Andy and Keir cooperate as to when the handover should take place.”
Good morning
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Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Senior Political Correspondent, guiding you through what looks to be another day of high drama in Westminster.
British political history was made on Thursday as Andy Burnham defied national polling to win a landslide for Labour at the Makerfield by-election, paving the way for him to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership.
He used his victory speech to set out what was effectively a pitch for No 10, demanding significant change on the economy, migration and education.
Sir Keir responded by congratulating Mr Burnham but went on to insist that he will fight to remain in Downing Street in any future contest. His allies claim that support for the Mayor of Greater Manchester would soon wane.
I will be guiding you through all of Saturday’s latest developments.