Andy Burnham launches a new salvo against Keir Starmer as Greater Manchester mayor blasts ‘macho and aggressive’ briefings against him from Westminster – and moans he never gets a speaking slot at Labour conference

Andy Burnham has launched a new salvo against Sir Keir Starmer as he hit out at ‘macho and aggressive’ briefings against him from Westminster.

The Greater Manchester mayor, as he took aim at Labour’s leadership, also bemoaned how he is never handed a major speaking slot at his party’s annual conference.

Mr Burnham has endured a strained relationship with Sir Keir since he became Labour leader in 2020.

As well as clashes over policy, Mr Burnham has refused to rule out another leadership bid in the future – having previously failed to land Labour’s top job in 2010 and 2015.

The Greater Manchester mayor’s latest blast at Sir Keir came in an interview with The House magazine, which is widely read at Westminster.

Andy Burnham has launched a new salvo against Sir Keir Starmer as he hit out at ‘macho and aggressive’ briefings against him from Westminster

The Greater Manchester mayor, as he took aim at Sir Keir and Labour Party bosses, also bemoaned how he is never handed a major speaking slot at the party’s annual conference

He revealed his anger at being overlooked for a prominent role at Labour’s conference since taking on his devolved position in 2017.

‘I’ll be honest, I’ve found it quite hard at times that I’ve never been asked to speak at Labour Party conference in this role,’ said the former health secretary, who has not spoken on the main conference stage in recent years.

He added: ‘I see the anonymous briefings and things. I’m well beyond caring about it very much.

‘Why does the system down there feel the need to brief against people? It’s not a new thing, I saw it when I was in government.

‘I’d like to think – and you can speak to people who were there when I was a minister – I didn’t really ever do that type of thing. It is quite macho and aggressive and negative.’

Mr Burnham also used the interview to praise Sir Keir’s new chief of staff Sue Gray, who is best known for writing the Partygate report about Covid lockdown gatherings in Downing Street.

‘There’s a real opportunity for an incoming Labour government to work in a way that we’ve never quite seen before,’ he said.

‘The way Sue Gray has gone about working with us and discussing that opportunity with us is great.

‘It’s really positive. I think Sue, given her civil service experience, understands the shortcomings of the way we’ve run the country. And that much is clear to me from working with her.’ 

But the Greater Manchester mayor warned his differences with Labour’s leadership over certain issues would not end if the party wins power at the general election.

He compared the situation to how Tory West Midlands mayor Andy Street has criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over his axing of the HS2 rail line.

The Labour politician said: ‘It’s not a bad thing if Andy Street says to his own party, “maybe you need to think again about this”. 

‘And it wouldn’t be if I did. The world shouldn’t end.’

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