Burnham snubs Starmer’s desperate job offer

On Wednesday 17 June, Starmer said he would like to give Andy Burnham a “big role” in government should he win the Makerfield by-election. The question was this: would Burnham accept a job in the most unpopular government of his lifetime, or would he simply force Starmer out and take the top job for himself?

The answer was obvious, and we didn’t have to wait long to hear it:

NEW: Andy Burnham won’t accept a job in Keir Starmer’s Government

Senior Labour source: “The benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the Government’s failings”

Advertisement

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 17, 2026

Burnham says no thanks

Starmer offered Andy B a job in an interview with Beth Rigby:

In a deeply personal interview, the PM tells me:

He wants Andy Burnham back in cabinet – to “have a big role in government”
He says he will talk to Burnham “after the weekend”
“I don't feel angry. I don't feel bitter” Starmer says, on the leadership crisis he’s facing… pic.twitter.com/WGjNoMkX9K

— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) June 17, 2026

He probably should have saved himself the embarrassment by offering Burnham the job directly. Saying that, if Starmer cared about embarrassment, he wouldn’t do half the things he does.

According to the Manchester Evening News (MEN), a “senior source” in Team Burnham said:

the benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the Government’s failings.

In other words, the man doesn’t want to get Starmer’s stink on himself. And this is all reminiscent of when David Cameron offered Boris Johnson a ‘top five’ position to not campaign for Brexit. And much like Johnson, Andy B is also a regional mayor with a massive barnet.

The MEN also reported:

The source also told us that the discussion of the Greater Manchester mayoral elections was an attempt to put ‘further challenges up’ and that if Keir Starmer stays it will give people ‘an excuse to vote against Labour’ in that election. If Mr Burnham wins the Greater Manchester Mayoral election is expected to take place at the end of July.

And this was in response to Starmer’s other attempt to wriggle out of a leadership challenge.

Focus

Slippery Starmer also said the following:

We’ve got the by-election tomorrow. First and foremost, I want Andy Burnham to win, and that’s why I’ve encouraged activists and members to go up there during the course of the campaign, and they’ll be up there tomorrow helping to get the vote out.

Then what happens is we’re immediately tipped into a Manchester mayoral contest by-election, one of the biggest by-elections that we’ve ever fought, because of the scale of it. And it’s really important to my mind that the whole of the Labour Party and Labour movement focuses on that, which is the next most immediate task.

So here’s the thing; the biggest obstacle to Labour winning any election seems to be Keir Starmer leading the party. As such, this argument doesn’t really hold up. It is a string of sentences, though, and the man does have to act like he’s not just a placeholder prime minister.

Change?

We should add that Burnham’s offering right now isn’t all that different to Starmer’s:

• Burnham ‘to support’ Mahmood’s racist immigration changes.
• Burnham is silent on wealth taxes – not a promising sign from potential PM.
• Andy Burnham’s role with Iain Duncan Smith’s think tank just shows he’s more of the same.
• Burnham WON’T back proportional representation this parliament.
• Shapeshifting Burnham ditches trans rights to panic-grab Reform votes.
• Burnham slammed for saying he won’t renationalise Thames Water.
• Burnham calls for ‘safe routes’ then agrees with Farage in muddled interview.
• Green candidate calls out genocide as Burnham sits on fence.
• Andy U-Turnham has already abandoned the Waspi women.

While some of this may change when Burnham is actually PM, that doesn’t mean he’ll get better!

Featured image via The Canary

By Willem Moore

Source link