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Lucy Powell says Labour has ‘no magic bullet’ as MPs brace for heavy losses in local elections

challenges facing the country – as its MPs grapple with how to navigate the fallout out from the local elections. [Lucy Powell](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/lucy-powell) told the Guardian she understood there was “huge anger and despondency

Catherine West backs down from Starmer challenge but urges him to go by September

leadership, has changed course and said she instead wants the prime minister to set a timetable of September for his departure. West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former Foreign Office minister

Thames Water investors say temporary nationalisation would slow its recovery

Andy Burnham to put key utilities under public control](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/16/andy-burnham-energy-water-under-public-control-keir-starmer). As Keir Starmer’s grip on power appeared to be fading, the Greater Manchester mayor suggested at the weekend that the renationalisation

In Britain, Brexit is debated again as Starmer’s grip on power slips

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, campaigns door to door on May 20, 2026, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, England [Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images] A survey by the More in Common research agency recently found that

Can Burnham turn ‘Manchesterism’ into a practical offer for government?

leadership of Howard Bernstein, the chief executive of Manchester city council during the New Labour years. “What is interesting about Andy is that he does not get his theory of change from books,” Lawson said

Greens suggest they will properly contest byelection in blow for Burnham

Andy Burnham’s potential route back to parliament against what is expected to be a strong Reform UK challenge. A statement from the Greens said candidate selection was in process, and that the party

UK net migration needs to fall further, says Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham has said UK net migration "needs to fall further", after new government figures showed it had almost halved since 2024. Labour's by-election candidate in Makerfield said people on the doorstep have

Chris Mason: Dissent fizzes again at the top of the Labour Party

Andy Burnham would be returning to Westminster before the bubbles of anxiety about Sir Keir Starmer would be visible again. The prime minister had sought to seize this brief opportunity to project direction and delivery

‘No other plan comes close’: Labour MPs turn to Burnham as pressure mounts on Starmer

leadership election.” They said Starmer had a “great legacy” and had brought the party back together after the fractious Jeremy Corbyn years: “He’s got the chance now to bring the party back together again

‘King of the North’: Who is Andy Burnham, a potential UK prime minister?

Andy Burnham has announced an ambitious plan of his own – to win a parliamentary seat in the northern English town Ashton-in-Makerfield. According to his supporters, he is the best candidate to replace Starmer

Chris Mason: Starmer defiant after defence spending row

challenge, but in those interviews we are often doing it because we are running out of time. It was made very clear to me in this interview that I had the time - and he wanted

Thames Water rescue deal threatened by uncertainty over next prime minister

Andy Burnham, has talked about bringing utility companies under public control, with his supporters advocating for him to start with Thames Water if he enters Downing Street. One senior source in the environment department said

UK borrowing costs rise as Starmer speech fails to dispel investor ‘jitters’

leadership challenge and would not walk away from his responsibilities after Labour’s drubbing in local elections in England and parliamentary contests in Scotland and Wales last week. Borrowing costs [fell on Friday](https://www.theguardian.com

Andy Burnham to back electoral reform if he becomes prime minister

Andy Burnham has said he will back sweeping changes to the electoral system to make politics “less point-scoring, more problem-solving” if he becomes prime minister. The [Greater Manchester](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/greater-manchester) mayor

Henry Zeffman: PM puts himself back in the game for now

Andy Burnham who is not currently an MP. Others want the prime minister out now because they back Streeting. So, will Streeting go for it? He did not rise to the prime minister's bait

Cabinet ministers warn mutinous MPs over ousting Keir Starmer

Andy Burnham – despite not being eligible – seen as [likely successors](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/22/four-top-labour-figures-could-beat-starmer-in-a-leadership-race-poll-finds). Some have argued Starmer should set out a timetable for his departure – and have suggested that a group of cabinet ministers might

Unhappy Labour MPs aren't ready to oust Starmer yet

challenge. One long-standing Labour MP has his take: "Keir Starmer is basically dead, isn't he? And because people think it is inevitable that he won't lead us into the next election, there

Winners, losers and a PM on the brink - what to expect in next week's elections

Andy [Burnham] or some more speculation about Angela [Rayner]. It is demotivating - there is a big, big frustration among activists and voters who see it and just think it's a shambles." But, shambles

Labour winds are blowing towards Burnham – and Streeting knows it

Andy Burnham, the mayor or Greater Manchester. But those were the closing paragraphs of the former health secretary Wes Streeting’s resignation letter, a cadence so similar to Burnham’s own that it cannot

Cabinet split as Mahmood calls on Starmer to set out timetable to go

Andy Burnham. Calls have also come from the right of the party, including those close to Streeting, for a swifter departure, which would exclude the chance of Burnham standing for the leadership. Pressure has been