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Former Defence Minister Al Carns has announced that he will not be standing for the Labour leadership, instead encouraging the party to support Andy Burnham’s candidacy. Speaking to Sky News, Carns expressed his view that holding a leadership contest was “not the best use of Labour’s time,” and emphasized the importance of uniting behind Burnham to move forward.
Carns’s decision leaves Burnham as the sole Labour MP officially seeking the leadership since Sir Keir Starmer stepped down as prime minister last month. Although earlier in the week Carns had withheld full support pending further details of Burnham’s government plans, he changed his stance after a conversation with Burnham on Tuesday. He stated that Burnham, the MP for Makerfield, would “make the right decisions and move the country forward.”
Burnham is widely expected to become the next leader of the Labour Party and take office as prime minister later this month. The formal process for electing a new leader will begin on Thursday when nominations open for MPs. To qualify, candidates must secure the backing of at least 20% of Labour MPs—meaning 81 endorsements—as well as nominations from either three affiliated socialist societies or trade unions, or 5% of constituency Labour parties. Given that there are 403 Labour MPs, if Burnham receives 323 nominations, it would be mathematically impossible for any other candidate to enter the contest.
Having returned to Westminster following a by-election victory in Makerfield last month, Burnham announced his intention to seek Labour leadership shortly afterward. On the same day Burnham was sworn in as an MP, Sir Keir resigned as prime minister, stating in his resignation speech that he had answered the question of whether he was “best placed to lead us into the next general election.” While Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, had considered running, he chose to support Burnham following Sir Keir’s departure. Carns, who also contemplated a leadership bid amid disagreements over military funding during his tenure as defence minister, ultimately decided against entering the race, citing that “internal blood letting” would be harmful to the party. He praised Burnham’s leadership in Manchester, highlighting his effective handling of crises such as the Manchester Arena attack and his positive influence on the city’s economy, concluding that Burnham’s track record at local and regional levels bodes well for national leadership
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