𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Conservative MP Esther McVey told Daily Express Deputy Political Editor Steph Spyro that there was a “jittery agitation” and a “nervousness” in Westminster amongst Labour MPs worried about whispers Mr Burnham might call an election in a bid to sure-up his authority to lead the country.

“And also many of the Labour MPs, which are Brexit-voting seats, they just don’t understand why Andy Burnham has brought the Brexit debate back onto the table. They thought when they were getting this new Prime Minister they were going to have ‘ideas Andy’ and lots of energy.

“And what they’ve ended up with is confusion and indecision.”

Ms McVey added that some senior Labour MPs had told her this week that “they feel like they are just treading water” and it’s not even worth coming to the Commons because it’s a “zombie Parliament”.

Another said, Ms McVey claimed, that they “don’t want Brexit brought up” and that by the Prime Minister putting it on the agenda again he was “picking at a scab”.

She added the unnamed Labour MP told her “it is a mistake, there will be a Burnham Brexit backlash”. She claimed one MP talking about his seat said that Burnham’s stance on Brexit was “bringing Reform back to life”.

Andy Burnham has been accused of “unpicking” the original Brexit deal after he announced a key UK-EU summit next month will be used to push for new trade deals with the bloc. The summit will take place in Brussels on November 20, where the two sides will seek to sign a new food and drink agreement, a youth mobility scheme and a pact on emissions trading.

On Monday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of revealing his hand before the negotiations begin.

She told the Commons: “What has the Prime Minister chosen to focus on today? Brexit. Here he is unpicking the deal this country signed with the EU a decade after the referendum.

“He is not going to get a better deal. The EU are tough negotiators, and it’s not just that the EU are tough negotiators, he has already revealed his entire negotiating hand.

“He has just blurted out everything he wants in this statement and I will tell him now, as a former trade secretary, this is not how you conduct negotiations.”