𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

This afternoon one prominent backbencher, Graham Stringer MP, tore into the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s seemingly transitory position on Brexit. The 76-year-old Blackley and Middleton South MP told attendees of the Brexit Unleashed conference: “It’s Tuesday today, so Andy is in favour of being in the EU – yesterday he wasn’t, or is it the other way around?”

He was referencing Mr Burnham’s sudden u-turn on his desire to rejoin the EU, which he made at a speech in Leeds this week.

The Makerfield hopeful told attendees he did not wish to rejoin, despite saying last year that he did.

Pressure was further piled onto the Mancunian Mayor by the Labour peer Lord Glasman, who wanted his party peer that it wasn’t “a given that Andy Burnham wins this election at all.”

In a long speech during which the outspoken peer took aim at progressive politics and what he felt was a technocratic dismissal of the Brexit vote, Lord Glasman said that he felt it was likely Mr Burnham lost the election to Reform.

Mr Burnham has been feeling the pinch throughout the day after a senior Cabinet minister, Patrick McFadden told the press the byelection was “unnecessary”.

He added it was an “expensive by-election” that was all about Mr Burnham’s “own personal ambition “rather than the best interests of the constituency”.

Mr Burnham said: “Some say this by-election is unnecessary. I say it’s the most consequential of our lives.”

I don’t take anything for granted and I’m ready to accept the consequences of whatever choice people make.”

The Makerfield by-election was called after the now-former Labour MP Josh Simons gave up the seat to give Mr Burnham a pathway back to parliament.

He is expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the position of Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party should he win.