Nominations for the Labour leadership opens on Thursday.
Andy Burnham is on track to become the next prime minister (Image: Getty)
Sky News was interrupted for a breaking alert on the Labour leadership contest. Nominations for the Labour leadership formally open on Thursday (July 8) and close on July 15, but it is believed Andy Burnham will enter Number 10 without facing a challenger. And former armed forces minister Al Carns MP has supported this further, as he has now revealed that he will not run for Labour leader. He added to presenter Cathy Newman that he will be supporting Burnham when nominations open tomorrow.
“As the boat has moved forward, it’s been really clear to me, having a three month competition now is probably not the best use of Labour’s time,” Carns told Newman. He highlighted the division it would likely cause within the party, adding that members of the Labour government should “get on board” with the prospect of Burnham becoming the next prime minister.
He continued: “Andy’s done a good job in Manchester, he did a great job during Covid. He’s seen the Manchester Arena attack and dealt with that very effectively.”
The politician acknowledged that the economic trajectory in Manchester is positive, suggesting if Burnham can do the same on a regional and national level then he will be heading in the right direction.
When asked if he is backing Burnham, Carns responded: “The time right now is not for the contest. I’ve always wanted the debate. I’ve put my five tests out there and suggested ideas such as a professional cabinet and critical national technologies, that 1.5 per cent of defence and how we can spend it more effectively, pushing those debates out, trying to get those ideas inserted into the system.”
He added: “I think we’ve all got to get on the boat and row in the same direction if we’re going to make the next two to three years count.”
Newman pressed him to confirm whether he was backing Burnham once again, prompting the 46-year-old to admit he had abandoned his “nascent” leadership bit, which he insisted was all about debate.
When asked whether he had decided not to put his name forward because he lacked sufficient support, Carns replied: “Have I been phoning people up and trying to get them onto the Al Carns ticket, absolutely not.
“I’ve had over 100 MPs come to me and say, ‘We need to have this debate. We need to talk about the vision for the country, the end state we need to get to.’ I think that’s critical as we move forward.”