Overview
- On Wednesday Darren Jones, a senior Starmer ally and Cabinet minister, publicly ruled out standing and said Andy Burnham is “going to be the next prime minister.”
- Nominations for the Labour leadership open on July 9 and close a week later, and if no rival secures roughly 81 MP backers Burnham could be installed as prime minister in mid-July.
- MPs and ministers are pushing Burnham to set out detailed economic policy next week, with several suggesting the new leader will need a chancellor who can reassure markets, trade unions and the Parliamentary Labour Party.
- Defence is an immediate test: the delayed Defence Investment Plan and the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey leave big spending decisions for Burnham, and former Armed Forces minister Al Carns says he may run unless shown a clear defence vision.
- Former Whitehall officials warn Burnham’s team must speed up transition planning, public polling shows little support for a fast-tracked ‘coronation,’ and analysts say his early handling of foreign relations, notably with US President Donald Trump, will influence allies’ and investors’ confidence.