- Andy Burnham has said carrying of knives for religious reasons ‘needs to be looked at’ following the murder of Henry Nowak by a Sikh man with a blade.
- Mr Burnham also confirmed he will challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership if he wins the Makerfield by-election . The Greater Manchester Mayor had previously pledged a Makerfield vote would "change Labour," but this marks his first explicit leadership declaration.
- Widely viewed as Sir Keir’s main rival for the top job if he wins, Mr Burnham appeared on the BBC’s Question Time by-election special.
- He stated his team is developing policy, though he requires Parliamentary Labour Party backing.
- Mr Burnham’s main rival in the Makerfield by-election, Reform UK's Robert Kenyon, refused to apologise for previous sexist comments about women and in particular about television presenter Carol Vorderman .
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