Labour civil war as Andy Burnham tears into Keir Starmer and tells PM to 'change course'

Andy Burnham has criticised the way Sir Keir Starmer runs the Labour Party, saying “wholesale change” is needed. And he suggested Labour could be heading for destruction, as he warned it faces an “existential” threat.

The Greater Manchester Mayor made the comments as Labour prepares for its annual conference in Liverpool this weekend. In an interview with The New Statesman, he expressed frustration at speculation he could be planning to oust the Prime Minister and launch his own leadership bid. But he also openly attacked the current direction of the Labour Party.

He criticised Sir Keir's approach, saying the “challenge we’ve got in front of us cannot be met by a very factional and quite divisive running of the Labour Party”. Mr Burnham said the gathering starting on Sunday must answer the question “where is our plan to turn the country around?”

He said: “I’m going to put the question back to people at Labour conference – are we up for that wholesale change? Because I think that’s what the country needs.

“If you’re asking me, am I attracted to going back into my old world and the old way of doing things in Westminster with minimal change? Well no, I wouldn’t find that attractive.

“Am I ready to work with anybody who wants to sort of put in place a plan to turn the country around?

“I’m happy to play any role. I am ready to play any role in that. Yes. Because the threat we’re facing is increasingly an existential one.”

He continued: “Politics BAU, business as usual, Westminster politics, ain’t gonna do it.

“The plan has to change quite radically.”

Detailing his politics of “aspirational socialism”, Mr Burnham called for more public control of housing, energy, water and rail, and to “get back to speaking to working-class ambition”.

Arguing for electoral reform in Westminster and for parties to work together on a long-term economic agenda, he indicated a willingness to work with the Liberal Democrats and Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Burnham said it would be a “wrench” to leave his current role and life in Greater Manchester and expressed frustration at reporting framing him as spending “every waking minute of my life thinking about how I, you know, take over and that’s just not true”.

But he declined to rule out a tilt at the top job as he set out his vision for change.

“It’s the plan that matters most, rather than me,” he said.

“Can we agree on a plan to turn this country around by retaking control of those essentials and being bold about it, and then helping to reduce the cost of living for people and helping control public spending as a result?”

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has thrown his weight behind former Commons leader Lucy Powell in the race to succeed Angela Rayner as Labour deputy leader following Mr Rayner’s departure over her tax affairs.

He believes Ms Powell’s victory would be key to weakening Downing Street’s grip on the party, according to The New Statesman.

Ms Powell has cast herself as the “independent choice” in the contest against Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson, seen as No 10’s pick.

Ms Powell has also been boosted by a £15,000 donation from green energy industrialist Dale Vince, who said: “I believe it’s right to go all the way and have a deputy leader that is not in the Government and thus less constrained by collective responsibility.”