𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Defence Secretary John Healey warned Labour’s “credibility in Government is at stake” in an apparent rebuke of leadership jockeying among rivals looking to oust the Prime Minister.

“I don’t care about photo ops or PR firms. Politics – to me – is not about the individual. People will not forgive us if they think we’re more concerned about ourselves than we are about them,” he said.

But the unrest continued on Tuesday as former Welsh Labour first minister Mark Drakeford told Channel 4 News Sir Keir’s situation was “irrecoverable” and that he would support Mr Burnham to be his successor.

Elsewhere, the mayor said he was “proud and humbled” to be selected, and vowed to ensure the voices of people in Makerfield were “heard loud and clear”.

He has put himself forward as the candidate to “change Labour”, using a campaign video to call for a “new path for Britain”.

The by-election could yet prove a tough fight, with ex-MP Mr Simons winning in 2024 by just 5,399 votes while Reform comfortably won every ward in the constituency at last month’s local elections.

Writing in the Daily Express, Mrs Badenoch accused the Government of being “more interested in who will replace the Prime Minister than the job of governing the country”.