DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 44

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has made questioning the state’s commitment to green energy a key plank of his gubernatorial platform.

Not so long ago, he had an entirely different focus. Back in 2017, the Republican served as a green energy company executive who was seeking a multibillion dollar federal contract to build a border wall comprised of solar panels.

“The best thing about it is we could sell the energy to Mexico,” Blakeman said at the time during an appearance on Fox News. “So in fact, they would be paying for the wall. It’s a win, win, win.”

Blakeman created Sustainable Technology LLC soon after President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration and quickly began promoting the idea of having the government pay a private company to build the promised wall along the Mexican border.

His pitch? The months-old company would be the perfect vehicle to manage the massive construction project thanks to its unique steel mesh design: “You can see through it,” Blakeman said of his 30-foot tall wall. “There’s no graffiti that can be put on it.”

The plan also involved the feds guaranteeing the bonds needed to fund Blakeman’s barrier building. The company, his thinking went, would then sell around $120 million of energy annually and that would cover “between a third and a half of the price.”

Trump wound up briefly flirting with the idea of a solar wall. “The rumor is, he saw us on [Fox News] and he saw our design and he started talking about it as a viable idea. I don’t know that to be a fact, but that is the rumor,” Blakeman said on Fox Business.

“Solar wall, panels, beautiful,” Trump said at a rally 10 days later. “Pretty good imagination, right? My idea,” he said while pointing to himself.

These days, Blakeman is a much less aggressive proponent of solar power — at least in the state he’s hoping to govern.

“Our carbon footprint is miniscule compared to the rest of the world, here in New York state,” he said in Albany last week. “When you look at the cost-benefit analysis, you don’t get the return from green energy.”

Long Island environmentalists say it’s “bizarre” to hear Blakeman’s attacks on solar power after a tenure in town and county government when he was largely silent on the issue.

“There are solar panels all across the county he serves,” Citizens Campaign for the Environment’s Adrienne Esposito said. “Thirty years ago, we were working with groups across Long Island to get 1,000 homes to have solar roofs. Today, it’s like one out of every 10 homes has solar panels. So its success is growing and it’s been widely embraced by members of the public and businesses.”

In a visit to Schoharie County last month, Blakeman criticized state efforts to install solar panels in rural neighborhoods.

“Here in New York, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said, pointing to the fact that the panels are occasionally covered in snow. “This is a scam.”

Still, he doesn’t oppose it everywhere — and specifically pointed to a “beautiful state” on the border.

“I’m a big proponent of solar energy. I think it’s great in Arizona,” Blakeman said in Schoharie. “When you have 350 days a year of sunshine and the mean average temperature’s about 80 degrees all year long, yeah, it makes sense there.” — Bill Mahoney

From the Capitol

TAXING TIMES: New York lawmakers are weighing a statewide tax on cash real estate purchases, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s office confirmed.

It’s not clear how the tax would be structured or what dollar amount would trigger it. The discussion is being held as state officials are poised to grant a similar tax for New York City.

The proposal was panned by the Real Estate Board of New York.

“New Yorkers are already the most heavily taxed residents in the country, and the City’s budget issues will not be solved by more taxes,” said the group’s president, James Whelan. “On the back of $500 million in a new second-home tax, putting even more costs on home buyers and sellers will further discourage transactions and threaten existing revenue collected by the State, City, and MTA.”

Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Nick Reisman

STICKER SHOCK: Democratic socialist congressional candidate Chuck Park seems to be a fan of the work of someone else running for Congress: upstate GOP contender Anthony Constantino.

Park, the lefty challenger for Rep. Grace Meng’s Queens seat, has spent $3,180 — across 15 disbursements — on campaign materials from Sticker Mule, the sprawling sticker and printing business owned by Constantino. The irreverent Republican is locked in his own primary battle with Assemblymember Robert Smullen for Rep. Elise Stefanik’s seat.

Constantino is a rapper, former boxer and massive pro-Trump sign owner who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

When Playbook asked Park if he had a comment on his campaign’s Sticker Mule spending habits, he attacked his opponent and the support she receives from a pro-Israel PAC.

“My opponent is taking hundreds of thousands in donations from AIPAC and weapons makers, but we can talk about where I buy stickers for volunteers,” Park said. “I’d be happy to compare my campaign’s finances with Rep. Meng’s at a debate.”

Meng’s campaign declined to respond to Park’s attack.

Financial records related to Park’s run for Congress — or lack thereof — also made headlines today for a different reason. City & State reported this morning that Park is four months late on filing his personal financial disclosure form. — Jason Beeferman

PIED-A-RETURN: Democratic state lawmakers aren’t finished discussing an annual surcharge on luxury second homes outside of New York City.

The statewide proposal, initially championed by Albany state Sen. Pat Fahy, was excised from state budget talks, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters this week.

But Assembly Democrats were told recently in a closed-door meeting that the matter may resurface next year after it’s reviewed by state tax officials, according to three people with direct knowledge of the conversation.

Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Nick Reisman

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

SLEEPY SCHLOSSBERG: Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg spent the day defending himself after The New York Times published a deep dive into his campaign’s internal operations.

The paper reported that Schlossberg’s campaign has experienced extremely high turnover — something we’ve covered at length in this newsletter — and that Schlossberg opted to take a nap or not show up during key campaign calls, the Times reported.

Schlossberg also pulled out of a Working Families Party candidate interview in January and at least one candidate debate.

In response to the piece, Schlossberg fired off posts on X in an apparent attempt to defend himself. In one, he posted a photo of himself where he appears to be sleeping. “Needed a quick nap !!” he said.

Schlossberg went on CNN today too, telling the network’s host Dana Bash: “Once you’re declared the frontrunner, and early voting starts in less than a month, everyone’s got something to say,” he said. “People are trying to figure out how our campaign has been so successful. — Jason Beeferman

IN OTHER NEWS

— ‘BETTER WHEN DEAD’: Congressional candidate Alex Bores’ father wished death on Zionists and justified the bombing of a child in a screed of online posts. (Jewish Insider)

— GUESSING GAME: Inconsistent market valuations for luxury New York City homes are muddying efforts to determine which properties will be targeted under Hochul’s proposed second-homes tax. (The New York Times)

— BIG PRICETAG: Erie County is directing most of its $29 million surplus to a $21 million civil rights settlement, and the county attorney is waving off questions from lawmakers. (Buffalo News)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wants to be a kingmaker. But his efforts to elevate Rep. Julia Letlow’s Senate campaign is irritating other Republicans in the state.

The first-term GOP governor has become a central figure in President Donald Trump’s revenge tour, working to boost Letlow to take down Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is viewed by MAGA supporters as insufficiently loyal to the president. Landry has publicly endorsed her and dispatched his chief of staff to advise her campaign. Behind the scenes, he’s been urging major donors to financially support Letlow, according to six people familiar with his pressure campaign.

But his aggressive efforts are annoying Louisiana Republicans, who see him as overstepping to prop up a candidate who is struggling to dominate as the front-runner, given her relatively low name ID and the rise of another MAGA candidate: State Treasurer John Fleming.

Nearly a dozen GOP lawmakers, strategists and party leaders said in interviews that they’ve long been frustrated by his efforts to strong-arm the party over his legislative priorities and see the Senate race as the latest salvo.

“We’re in some crazy territory where there are yes men all around the governor, and they don’t do anything he doesn’t want them to do, and they do everything he wants them to do,” said Kelby Daigle, St. Martin GOP parish chair, who supports Cassidy.

One prominent Louisiana businessperson, granted anonymity to speak freely, said Landry had asked dozens of executives on a conference call earlier this year to donate to Letlow. The person, a Cassidy supporter, promptly hung up.

“Governor Landry has gone all-in on Letlow and is pot committed at this point,” said a Louisiana Republican strategist, granted anonymity to speak freely. “It’s a gamble that could pay off big or drain his political capital.”

The May 16 primary is likely headed to a run-off, and any combination of candidates may qualify. Polling shows Letlow with a slight lead over Fleming, with Cassidy in third.

Getting Letlow to the finish line would be a huge boost for Landry in the eyes of the White House, which has set its sights on ousting Cassidy, who angered the MAGA base with his 2021 impeachment vote against the president. Still, the governor may not be the most compelling messenger himself: He’s facing sinking approval ratings in Louisiana, dropping to 43 percent in March, down from 58 percent the prior year. And his reputation as a highly transactional governor is exhausting other Republican leaders.

“All this is him thinking that he can rig certain outcomes as a toady for the President,” said another GOP operative, who is unaffiliated with any of the Senate campaigns. The problem for Landry, the Republican said, is “people in Louisiana are fiercely independent. They don’t want to be told what to do.”

Landry and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

“This narrative is absurd,” said Katherine Thordahl, Letlow campaign spokesperson. “Governor Landry is a friend and an ally, but he does not run Congresswoman Julia Letlow’s campaign. This is yet another desperate attempt by Rep. Letlow’s opponents to muddy the waters because they are losing this race.”

Letlow was first elected to the House to fill the seat of her former husband, who died from Covid in 2020, days before being sworn in. She’s the first woman to serve in Congress in Louisiana. And she has earned the backing of both Trump and the Make America Healthy Again movement, whose PAC has pledged $1 million in support, despite Cassidy’s attempts to paint her as inadequately conservative for previously supporting diversity initiatives in higher education.

Her strongest supporter is Landry, a close ally of the White House who has moved further onto the national stage since becoming governor in 2024. Trump named him special envoy to Greenland last year, and he was one of the first Republican governors to welcome federal agents into their states when the U.S. Border Patrol was dispatched to New Orleans.

But in Louisiana, Republicans say Landry has created a culture of fear, with frequent comparisons to Huey Long, the former governor and populist political boss. Few are willing to speak out against him. “Often people in his own party get punished more than the Democrats,” said state Rep. Aimee Freeman, a Democrat.

Landry is known to bulldoze Republicans in the state legislature to get his priorities through — and readily punish detractors by wielding his line-item veto. Last year, he killed 16 spending projects in districts held by GOP lawmakers who voted against his top legislative priority.

In another display of power, he chose to delay the state’s House races from May 16 to mid-July following the Supreme Court’s rejection of Louisiana’s congressional map, sending the election system into chaos.

“This is unchecked power,” said Daigle, the GOP parish chair, of Landry’s decision to suspend House elections, which occurred after more than 42,000 ballots were cast. “We are in what I would say is some dangerous territory here, constitutionally speaking.”

Landry’s GOP detractors in the state say the Senate race is just another example of Landry sharply wielding his bully pulpit, from his push to get big donors to back Letlow to blasting Cassidy at any opportunity. 

Landry was behind the decision in 2024 to change the state’s electoral system, which used to combine all candidates into a single primary that any voter could participate in. The state now uses closed partisan primaries, which was seen as laying the groundwork for defeating Cassidy, given his unpopularity with the base. Cassidy must now win over those voters, who turn out in droves in primaries, without being able to rely on votes from Democrats and others who have padded his numbers in the past.

Cassidy’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Letlow could use the boost: Her war chest amounts to less than a quarter of Cassidy’s cash on hand. But her opponents have seized on Landry’s involvement. Cassidy filed an FEC complaint accusing Landry’s top political fundraiser of campaign finance violations while approaching donors on behalf of Letlow. And Fleming has accused Landry of being behind millions in negative advertisements going after his record on immigration and opposition to carbon sequestration, an issue that he has campaigned heavily on. Landry and Courtney Guastella, his top fundraiser, have not addressed the allegations publicly and didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Fleming, in an interview, said that voters “are just not buying” the attacks against him, citing his standing in the race. He and Landry have clashed over his Senate run, and Fleming has accused the governor of blocking his attempts to reach out to the White House to speak with Trump about his campaign.

Fleming has also accused the Letlow campaign of dangling a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get him out of the race. The Letlow campaign has denied that allegation.

“So it just goes to show you really how desperate they are to try to get her elected,” he said.

And Landry maintains some defenders in the Louisiana GOP. State Sen. Alan Seabaugh said he doesn’t begrudge Landry for wielding his influence over the party to affect the outcome of the Senate race — or to veto bills as he pleases.

“He’s the governor. That is his authority,” he said. “Why Letlow? He desperately doesn’t want Bill Cassidy to get reelected.”

Kelsey Brugger contributed reporting.

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The President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, made new statements regarding the Iranian national team’s visa crisis 28 days before the start of the 2026 World Cup. He confirmed that the matter has not been resolved yet, and his country is awaiting official guarantees from FIFA.

The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Taj as saying that the Iranian Federation will hold a decisive meeting with the International Football Federation (FIFA) in the coming days, in an attempt to end the visa crisis related to the delegation’s entry into the United States.

Taj stated that “no visas have been issued yet,” adding that the Iranian Federation has not received any official clarifications regarding the names of the individuals approved for visas, which increases the state of ambiguity before the World Cup.

He explained that the national team players may be forced to travel to the Turkish capital, Ankara, for visa fingerprinting procedures, noting that there are efforts underway to move these procedures to Antalya to alleviate logistical pressure and avoid traveling to Ankara.

World Cup supposed to be free from political contempt

The President of the Iranian Federation stressed that FIFA is the party responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the participation procedures, stating that FIFA is required to provide clear guarantees that allow the Iranian national team to travel to the United States, play its matches, and return without obstacles.

Canadian authorities had refused to grant Mehdi Taj an entry visa due to the sanctions imposed on him, adding a new dimension to the challenges facing the Iranian delegation before the tournament, which is being hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, according to Reuters news agency.

The Iranian national team is scheduled to be in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup finals, where they will begin their campaign against the New Zealand national team in Los Angeles on June 15, as part of Group Seven competitions.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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New revelations seem to show Israeli participation in increasing US efforts to crush Latin America’s left and consolidate far-right power in the region.

News outlet Canal Red and Honduran journalists have given the public access at Hondurasgate to audio files and documents that reveal shady dealings by an elite network looking to ensure US dominance in Latin America.

At the centre of the story are the war-criminal US regime of Donald Trump, convicted drug trafficker and far-right ex-president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, Argentina’s far-right president Javier Milei, and the genocidal government of Israel.

The new US war on Latin America, with help from Israel and the local far right

Key facts include that:

• Ahead of the 2025 election in Honduras, in which the US regime was clearly meddling, Trump pardoned Hernández (the “kingpin” who was in a US jail serving a 45-year sentence). Israel had paid for his release, and Trump apparently wanted him to regain power in Honduras. Hernández ally Nasry Asfura — the “façade” — won the election.
• Hernández sought to use public money to spread propaganda (in collaboration with the Trump regime) and destabilise left-wing governments across Latin America. In one audio, he advocated the use of violence, saying “if you want to keep people controlled, you need to oppress them“.
• The target would be “the cancer of the left” in Honduras and throughout Latin America. Mexico and Colombia, currently under left-leaning governments, would be key targets.
• The money for destabilisation efforts would come from Honduran public coffers, from Javier Milei’s network, and from Israel. Reactionary International describes the strategy as “the systematic conversion of Latin American states into dependencies of a US-Israeli axis, using money, media, military infrastructure, religion, and organised crime”.
• The reaction to the leaks was tens of thousands of cyberattack attempts in just one day, mainly seeming to originate from the US and Israel.

US imperialism changed strategies, but never went away

The US spent decades during the Cold War fuelling death and destruction in Latin America to get its way. And the elitist far-right alliance behind Donald Trump is seeking to resuscitate that full-on campaign of terror.

There have long been numerous players in US efforts in Latin America, including:

• Honduras, which was a key military hub for US destabilisation. Brutal pro-US regimes led Honduras to have one of the world’s highest murder rates. The US backed a coup there in 2009 when things started to slip away from its control. And the efforts to stop the left in 2025 seemed to follow this pattern too.
• Israel, which has a long record of supporting the far right in Latin America, which has returned the favour. This dynamic stems from the left’s historic support for Palestinian rights and anti-colonial causes more broadly. In particular, Israel has been the most consistent supporter of the US embargo on Cuba.
• Argentina, whose far-right dictatorship in the 1980s secretly got arms from Israel. Now under the self-proclaimed “most Zionist president in the world” Javier Milei, Argentina is the Latin American country with most dual nationals participating in Israel’s genocide.
• The billionaire class, which uses forces like the Atlas Network to push its class war against ordinary people forwards. Far-right figures like Milei and Hernández are very much on board with the mission.

More recently, the Trump regime has been enlisting as many pliant far-right leaders to its cause as possible. And while Iran’s resistance to US-Israeli aggression has diverted Trump’s attention slightly, his war-hungry team are still fully intent on stamping US authority on Latin America.

Resistance in knowledge and action

Trump started 2026 off by following through on regime-change threats against Venezuela. Then he intensified the US stranglehold on Cuba. And amid the Hondurasgate revelations, he has reminded Latin America what he wants:

Imperialism aside, the Trump administration considers Venezuelans who come here to be illegals but a Venezuelans in Venezuela to be Americans.

Got it. https://t.co/8ppaf6FF66

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 13, 2026

Colombia has national elections at the end of May. And Colombian president Gustavo Petro has been openly questioning how right-wing forces may be interfering, especially as the election software from Honduras’s elections comes from the same people handling Colombia’s vote count.

But Trump’s overt and covert attempts to increase US dominance in Latin America are absolutely meeting resistance. And it’s not just from journalists revealing dodgy backroom dealings. It’s also from the ground strategies of the organised left.

CNN, for example, now admits that Cuba has responded to increasing US hostility with:

one of the fastest solar revolutions on the planet

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, meanwhile, has reacted to Hondurasgate by insisting:

As long as we stay close to the People, [the forces trying to destabilise the left] won’t do anything to us…

The billionaire class in charge of the US empire may have drug traffickers and genocidal war criminals on its side. But its victory isn’t inevitable, as long as ordinary people are fully aware of this campaign and willing to take action to oppose it.

By Ed Sykes

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This article contains major spoilers for the most recent instalment of The Boys.

With fans still reeling from the shock death of a lead character in the penultimate episode of the The Boys (season 5), creator Eric Kripke has opened up about what went into the decision.

Now, before we go any further, we are about to say the name of the character who died. So, make sure you’ve watched the episode before you go on reading any further, OK?

So, as you hopefully know by now, episode seven of The Boys’ final season saw Tomer Capone’s Frenchie sacrificing himself in order to save Kimiko Miyashiro.

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During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Eric Kripke said it was always the plan to “kill off one of The Boys” as the show reached its climax.

“You can’t have a shot at victory unless it costs your heroes something that’s really hard,” he insisted.

“I always think The Lord Of The Rings was so good at that, and Game of Thrones was so good at that. For narrative momentum, your heroes have to pay a steep price – because that’s how it works in the real world.”

Once he and the team came to this conclusion, they began “going through each character and deciding what was going to be the most heart wrenching”.

“I think we knew early on it was going to be Frenchie,” he said, pointing out that “in so many ways, Frenchie and Kimiko are the heart of the show”.

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He continued: “Despite what killers they are, they’re both so emotionally sweet. We knew this would have real maximum destruction, and I think it had to happen.

“They would not have a chance of winning if Frenchie doesn’t sacrifice himself.”

Meanwhile, in a recent interview with the LA Times, Tomer admitted he’s not been able to bring himself to watch Frenchie’s death yet.

“It’s the longest character I ever had in my career, and I can’t. Something tells me not yet,” he shared.

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Tomer continued: “I wasn’t surprised when I heard from Eric that Frenchie was continuing on to the big field [in the sky].”

He added: “I had this feeling. I didn’t want to say it out loud. It’s like, at this point, the fifth season, we all felt it. We knew where it was going.”

Following Wednesday’s instalment, there’s now less than a week to go until The Boys comes to an end for good.

While spin-off series Gen V has also been cancelled, its creators previously insisted that its central players would appear in “other VCU projects on the horizon”.

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Trade union leaders, representatives and activists from across the UK are calling on the Labour government to reject the proposed Rosebank oil field, warning it would undermine climate commitments, fail workers in the long term, and risk contributing to human rights abuses abroad.

Major unions and more than 1,900 additional trade unionists published the open letter on 14 May 2026. This follows a year of union climate action which the TUC backed after COP30.

The unions supporting the letter include:

• UNISON.
• NEU (National Education Union).
• PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union).
• CWU (Communication Workers Union).
• UCU (University and College Union).
• Equity.
• FBU (Fire Brigades Union).
• BFAWU (Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union).
• IWGB (Independent Workers Union of Great Britain).
• UVW (United Voices of the World).

The unions represent firefighters, ambulance staff, network management in gas sector, teachers, nurses, cleaners, civil servants and more. They stress that Rosebank is a ‘climate-wrecking project’ set to produce CO2 equivalent to 70 percent of UK annual emissions. This makes it incompatible with the UK’s obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement.

The signatories also argue that approving Rosebank will stall the UK’s energy transition and leave Scotland’s oil and gas workers at risk.

Jobs in the industry have more than halved over the past decade. To date, Rosebank’s rig was built in Dubai, then retrofitted in Norway – something which unions have called a betrayal.

The trade unionists behind the letter stress that the UK must focus on the long-term wellbeing of workers. It needs to invest in the clean energy industries of the future, creating secure, long-term jobs to support workers to transition.

Rosebank – huge risk, negligible benefit

Rosebank has faced increasingly intense political and public opposition in recent years, given the field will do nothing to provide energy security or lower bills in the UK at a time when the nation gears up for yet another conflict-driven price shock.

Despite repeated claims since Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran began, new oil and gas fields like Rosebank will not reduce the UK’s reliance on gas imports. In fact, even if Rosebank gets the green light, it will only reduce our national dependency by 1%.

The field’s reserves are mainly oil for export, set to sell on the international market. They will not power British cars or industry, with the profits benefiting Shell and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund while the UK taxpayer effectively covers most of the development costs thanks to huge tax breaks.

The project could also send over £200m towards Delek Group – an Israeli fuel conglomerate that the UN flagged for human rights violations in Palestine. The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has warned the UK government that it risks breaching its own obligations under international laws on these grounds, should it allow Rosebank to go ahead.

With a government decision due over the next couple of months, trade unionists are urging more members and organisations to sign on. You can read the letter in full here.

Andrea Egan, general secretary of UNISON, commented:

With the Iran war, UNISON members are more worried than ever about their energy bills and transport costs. New oil fields won’t do anything to reduce the prices they pay in the coming months; they will delay action for real energy security and climate justice through a shift to renewables.

At the same time, the likelihood that Rosebank will lead to significant losses for the UK Treasury, while corporations, including one linked to Israeli war crimes, pocket billions, should outrage us all. I know it outrages public service workers.

The government needs a genuine focus on how we get affordability now, get a safe and sustainable future, and get real just transition for workers.

This starts with investing in those public services that pave the way to a low carbon economy and recognising that jobs in Education, Health, Social Care alongside the many other sectors UNISON organise in are inherently Green jobs.

That’s why UNISON says no to Rosebank.

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Steve Wright, general secretary of the FBU, said:

Firefighters are on the front line dealing with the wildfires and floods which are more frequent and dangerous because of climate change. There is no option for a safe future other than a transition away from fossil fuels.

We also know that companies extracting oil and gas from Rosebank would sell their product at the highest price on the global market to maximise profits. So the way to shield the UK from future oil price shocks is not North Sea drilling but a transition to renewable energy.

Sarah Woolley, general secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, commented:

Whether it’s working in kitchens in heatwaves or seeing climate change contribute to rising food prices, our members can see that climate change is a trade union issue.

The government can choose to expand North Sea drilling by approving Rosebank and funnelling more money to oil company shareholders, or they can focus on solutions to tackle the climate crisis, create jobs and ensure our energy is affordable.

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Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham announced his intention to stand for parliament on Thursday afternoon as he sets his eyes on Number 10. (Alamy)

4 min read4 hr

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced his intention to stand as an MP in Makerfield in order to return to Parliament and potentially pave a path to No 10, as calls by Labour MPs for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down grow.

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In a statement on X, Burnham announced he will attempt to stand in the seat after the Labour MP in the constituency, Josh Simons, said he would step down to pave the way for Burnham to run as an MP.

“I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election,” said Burnham.

“I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics.”

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Burnham also said he wanted people to “come back together as a Labour movement”, and called for giving the prime minister and the government “space and stability” while the by-election takes place.

“Millions are struggling and they need the Labour government to succeed. It has already made changes to make life better for them in its first two years,” he said.

“After this week, we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the prime minister and the government the space and stability they need as the by-election takes place.”

The Manchester mayor also thanked Simons for stepping down, and said he recognised “the difficult decision taken by Josh Simons and the sacrifice he and his family are making.”

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“I have worked closely with him as Mayor on issues like flooding and illegal waste dumping and have seen first-hand how effective he has been,” said Burnham.

“He has put the communities of Makerfield first, made a real difference for them and should take great pride in that.”

Burnham also said he would “not take a single vote for granted” and would “work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency”. 

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The next hurdle for Burnham, aside from winning the by-election, is getting the backing of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) – which blocked his recent bid to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election. 

The NEC’s argument for blocking Burnham in Gorton and Denton officially was not wanting an unnecessary by-election in Manchester for the mayoralty, which Burnham currently holds.

However, it was also widely seen as a bid by the prime minister to keep Labour’s most popular politician and possible contender for No 10 out of Parliament in the event of a leadership race. 

Burnham’s announcement came after a dramatic day in Westminster, which saw Health Secretary Wes Streeting resign, saying the party currently has a “vacuum” instead of “vision”, and “drift” instead of “direction” – and that Labour’s heavy local election losses last week were “unprecedented”. 

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There had been mounting speculation since the local election losses on Thursday that Streeting would launch a direct challenge against the prime minister; however, he stopped short of doing so in his resignation letter. 

While Streeting criticised Starmer’s leadership – stating “too often” other people had ended up “falling on their swords” for the prime minister, and suggesting he did not listen to backbenchers and had a “heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices” – he stopped short of a direct challenge. 

Instead, Streeting said he was supportive of a process to replace Starmer that was “broad” – indicating a desire to include Burnham in the process, with speculation abounding that Streeting does not have the necessary 81 MPs backing him to mount a formal challenge. 

“It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates,” said Streeting. “I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.”

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Streeting’s calls for Starmer to step down join almost 100 Labour MPs backing the PM’s departure, with senior Labour MP Jess Phillips resigning as a minister on Wednesday, joining a small but growing number of government ministers calling for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure. 

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News on Thursday afternoon that the Cabinet was behind Starmer, and that now was the opportunity to “draw a line under all of this”. 

“The prime minister has my full support, and I’m really sorry to see Wes go,” said Phillipson.

“He has been a brilliant health secretary. He’s done a fantastic job, and we saw that today with the NHS waiting list numbers that are really encouraging and what people want to see. But I fundamentally disagree with the position he’s taken.”

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