Burnham Set to Challenge Starmer in DAYS if He Claims Victory in Key Makerfield By-Election

ANDY Burnham is poised to try to oust Keir Starmer within days if he is elected MP for Makerfield in this week’s crunch by-election.

is expected to try to see the PM in No10 as soon as next Monday to try to persuade him to quit and agree to a bloodless coronation.

Andy Burnham is poised to try to oust Keir Starmer within days if he is elected MP for Makerfield in this week’s crunch by-election Credit: AFP Ed Milliband is considering quitting to try to force the PM out of office Credit: Simon Jones

If the PM refuses several Cabinet ministers – including – are considering quitting to try to force him out of office.

They are desperate to avoid a long and bruising leadership contest which could plunge the party into turmoil.

But has repeatedly said he will not go quietly – and that will have to beat him in a leadership contest if he wants to seize No10.

A source said: “If there doesn’t go quietly the Cabinet will have to tell him the game is up.

“There are cabinet ministers who are alive to the possibility they may need to resign.”

has publicly said he “will not quit” and will fight any leadership challenge against him.

The PM believes he has a duty to stay because he won a general election with a big majority.

It means will need to get 81 Labour MPs to back him to trigger a contest. He is expected to easily get this number of backers.

Starmer has vowed to fight any leadership challenge that comes his way Credit: PA Wes Streeting is expected to join in any leadership race Credit: Getty

Former Health Secretary is expected to join in any leadership race.

This sets the stage for a Labour leadership contest over the summer.

told a call for new members that he’d been “fighting against the odds” since he became Labour leader.

He said: “When we changed the party around, people said, ‘alright, but you won’t win an election, that’s not possible’. We said, ‘watch this’, and we won with a landslide victory.

“Then they said, ‘well, you’ve inherited a broken economy and broken public services’.

“Here we are two years in, we’ve got a stable economy with the best growth in the G7 and record investment in our public services, including in our with the biggest drop in waiting lists in 17 years.

“So yet again we’ve proved when people said you can’t do it that actually you can.

“There are no end to further challenges for the next three years, but the worst thing you could tell us is you can’t do something because we’re here to prove you wrong.”