Britain17 May, 20263 min read
Lisa Nandy Says Keir Starmer’s Leadership Contest Decision Is Personal
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Lisa Nandy says Starmer's leadership contest decision is a personal decision. Rivals Streeting and Burnham are laying groundwork to challenge his authority.
Nandy: personal decision
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it is a “personal decision” for Keir Starmer whether he chooses to fight any potential Labour leadership contest. Nandy told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Starmer “shown before that he’s up for a fight,” while she also said “I wouldn’t write off the prime minister.” The BBC reported the Prime Minister has defied calls to step down in recent days, after nearly 90 of his own MPs urged him to go and five ministers resigned.
Nandy also said she backed Andy Burnham to be “back in Parliament at the heart of power,” as the Greater Manchester mayor seeks to stand for Labour in the Makerfield by-election and is widely expected to launch a leadership challenge if he wins. The BBC added that on Saturday Wes Streeting confirmed he would stand in any future leadership race after he resigned as health secretary earlier this week.
Wigan, Makerfield, EU
Asked if she thought Sir Keir should be replaced as Labour leader, Nandy, who represents the Greater Manchester constituency of Wigan, told the BBC: "No I don't. If I did I wouldn't be in his cabinet."
Nandy said she believed “we were elected to bring an end to the chaos,” and she argued that last week’s election results showed “people feel they haven't seen enough fight from us.”
She said the message was “loud and clear, they want to see us on the pitch fighting harder, speaking louder and doing more,” and she added “We were hearing that loud and clear.”
In the same BBC report, Nandy pointed to Starmer’s landslide general election victory in 2024, after sceptics said he would not be able to return Labour to power in just one term.
The Minute Mirror also quoted Nandy saying Labour was elected “to bring an end to the chaos,” and it reported she said any decision by Labour MPs to challenge Starmer would be a “personal decision,” while she dismissed suggestions Starmer should step down.
Burnham’s path and stakes
The BBC said Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee cleared Andy Burnham to seek selection as Labour’s candidate in Makerfield after Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign to make way for Burnham. Nandy told the BBC that “Because of Andy's record as mayor, people who didn't vote for [Labour] last week were saying that they would vote for us again,” and she said “That's why I make no apology for saying that I think he is a really important voice that needs to be heard loud and clear at the centre of Westminster.” The BBC reported that Simons said it would be “existential” for the Labour Party if it lost the Makerfield by-election, describing the contest as “about a fundamental question for my party, which is can they win back the trust of working-class people”.
The BBC also quoted Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch saying: “It doesn't matter whether it's Andy Burnham or Keir Starmer, the problem is the Labour Party.” In the Minute Mirror, Nandy’s comments were tied to speculation about Burnham’s potential return to Westminster politics, with the paper noting the National Executive Committee had previously blocked Burnham’s attempts to stand in a by-election and seek selection as Labour’s candidate in Makerfield.