Starmer latest: Burnham breaks silence with call for ‘stability’ in Labour Party after failed attempt to oust PM
It comes after Welsh first minister Eluned Morgan backed the prime minister
Andy Burnham has issued a plea for “stability” as he backed Sir Keir Starmer in the wake of a failed attempt to oust the prime minister.
The Greater Manchester mayor said the prime minister has his “support” but added Labour needs “greater unity” as he gave a rallying cry for the party to focus on the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
It comes after Mr Burnham was blocked from running in the by-election, in what was widely seen as an attempt to force Sir Keir Starmer out of office. But speaking on Tuesday, Mr Burnham said Sir Keir also had his backing when he attempted to put himself forward for the seat.
Earlier the Welsh Labour leader broke her silence to publicly back the prime minister, but added she had “concerns” Lord Peter Mandelson was “incompatible” for public office.
Sir Keir is expected to take part in a community visit this afternoon in an attempt to move on from the leadership crisis that has dominated the last two days.
Ministers rallied around him after a dramatic 48 hours, in which Sir Keir lost his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and faced calls to resign from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Palantir government contracts awarded 'fairly and transparently', minister says after £240m MoD defence deal
Holly Bancroft the Independent’s Home Affairs correspondent reports:
Security minister Dan Jarvis has said that government contracts awarded to US tech firm Palantir were "awarded fairly and transparently", following questions from the science and technology committee about a £240m defence deal.
Palantir signed a £241m deal with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last month and it also has contracts with the NHS, and is helping UK police forces innovate using Artificial Intelligence.
The company has employed Global Counsel, the lobbying firm founded by Peter Mandelson, in the past and Sir Keir Starmer reportedly visited Palantir's offices in Washington DC with Lord Mandelson in February 2025.
Mr Jarvis told MPs on Tuesday: "As I am sure you will understand, ministers across government engage with a range of different companies as part of international travel and my understanding is that Palantir is a long-standing investor in the United Kingdom."
When asked by LibDem MP Martin Wrigley if he was comfortable with the increasing presence of Palantir in sensitive areas like the NHS and defence, Mr Jarvis replied that "I am satisfied that we've got the right processes in place".
He added that the contracts "represent a vote of confidence in the UK", saying they would "create very significant amounts of investment".
Mr Jarvis and science and technology minister Ian Murray MP confirmed to MPs that they have not met with Palantir themselves.
Watch: Awkward moment Wes Streeting has 'intimate' Mandelson text messages read back to him
Burnham accuses ministers of policies that lead to families becoming homeless
The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports:
The Greater Manchester mayor, long seen as a potential rival to Keir Starmer, praised the lifting of the two-child benefit cap, which he said would have a “huge impact” on children in his city.
But he hit out at the freezing of local housing allowance, saying: “What does that do? That makes families homeless, because the gap between their income and their rent is too big.”
He said that today in Greater Manchester there were around 6,500 children in temporary accommodation.
He added: “National government really doesn't focus enough on local government and what its decisions do to local government, and particularly what those decisions mean for child poverty in places like Greater Manchester. And I think we need to join up all of those things.”
PM refuses to say he has confidence in top civil servant
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say he has confidence in Britain's top civil servant, Sir Chris Wormald, amid rumours he is on his way out in the coming days.
Sir Chris had previously been put in charge of leading the process of going through all internal government files relating to Peter Mandelson. But asked who would be leading that process today, the prime minister's official spokesperson said: "The Cabinet Office is leading it. I wont get into internal arrangements."
Asked whether the prime minister has full confidence in Sir Chris, he said: "I wont comment on speculation".
Starmer has 'renewed energy and clarity of message'
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has "renewed energy and clarity of message", his official spokesperson has insisted as the government attempts to draw a line under the chaos that has unfolded over the last few days.
Speaking to reporters, Sir Keir's official spokesperson argued that he is "showing the leadership this country needs", adding that he is "determined to work for everyone across the country so they’re better off".
"I think what you’ve seen from him yesterday is a clear determination to deliver on the mandate that he was elected with in 2024. And he’s getting on with the task on hand", he said.
Starmer refuses to say whether Streeting sought approval to publish his private messages
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has declined to say whether or not Wes Streeting sought his approval before publishing private messages with Peter Mandelson, with his spokesperson refusing to comment on private discussions.
The messages, which he published as part of an attempt to show he had nothing to hide relating to his relationship with Peter Mandelson, revealed the health secretary's criticism of Keir Starmer’s government.
Asked whether the prime minister is frustrated by Mr Streeting's publication, the spokesperson said: "We’ve been clear throughout that we are working with the Met. You’ve got the Met's statement.
"They also talk about how it is vital that due process is followed, that’s what we are doing and we’ve been consistent with that."
Burnham declares his support for Starmer to stay as PM
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Asked at an event in central London whether the Prime Minister has his full support to stay in post, Mr Burnham said: "Yes, he has my support. The government has my support and they had my support when I put myself forward for the by-election."
He was blocked by Sir Keir from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
Labour is now under intense pressure over the by-election later this month and what are expected to be disastrous elections in May.
Mr Burnham also called for more “unity” in the Labour Party at the Resolution Foundation's event on working-age families.
PM refuses to back Wes Streeting until next election
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
The prime minister has refused to back health secretary Wes Streeting staying in post until the next election, after he released his private messages with disgraced former Labour peer Peter Mandelson, revealing his criticism of Keir Starmer’s government.
While the prime minister's official spokesperson said he has full confidence in Mr Streeting, asked whether he backs him until the next election, he said: "I’m not going to go through the Cabinet on that basis."
It comes despite the PM previously backing both David Lammy and Rachel Reeves to stay in post until the next election when they were facing calls to quit.
Burnham urges Starmer to adopt ‘more inclusive’ approach as he calls for 'stability' ahead of crunch by-election
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has broken his silence over the crisis engulfing Keir Starmer’s government.
Mr Burnham was not one of the senior party figures who publicly backed the prime minister on Tuesday, even as cabinet ministers tweeted their support after the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar urged him to quit.
Today at a conference in London, he warned of the challenges of “Unsung Britain” and said tackling those "requires stability, and I make my own call to that today across the Labour Party.
“Of course, stability comes from greater unity, and that would be helped by a more inclusive way of running the party, but recent events make that now feel possible… Today, our focus should be on the by-election in Manchester, which I am going to say to you all today, is winnable for Labour."
He called for the pace of change to get faster, but added that required unity.
“This is a moment for everyone (to be) pulling in the same direction” he said as he called for housing to rise to the top of the government's priority list.
But he also called into question the impact of the government’s £1.5m housing target, calling for half a million of them to be council and social homes.
Burnham hits out at Mandelson scandal and says politicians must not get too close to wealth
The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is speaking this afternoon at a Resolution Foundation conference on “Unsung Britain”.
In remarks that will be seen as a comment on the Mandelson-Epstein scandal, Mr Burnham said: "Following recent events, I think the time has come to call an end to this era in British politics where politicians got too close to wealth".
He added: "I believe this government has in fact drawn a line and taken Britain into this new era...for example the decision to renationalise rail".
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