A senior ally of Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour against playing “fantasy politics” which would distract from the big challenges in the country.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones acknowledged a debate about the future of the party had to happen in the wake of Labour’s election drubbing across England, Wales and Scotland.
But with Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting both positioning themselves to replace the Prime Minister, Mr Jones said there was no “magic answer” to fix the country’s problems.
He said: “There’s a lot of fantasy politics going on right now inside the Labour Party… in terms of who is up, who is down, who will be in what position.”
He added that “Britain is poorer and weaker than it needs to be”, and told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “Irrespective of individual ambitions from any of my colleagues, the big questions the country faces are still the big questions the country faces.
“There’s no magic answer to any of them, because if there was we would have implemented it.”
He said a debate inside the Labour Party “has to happen off the back of bad local election results”, but that must not distract from “our primary focus on the country”.
He added: “I’m all up for having a debate inside the Labour Party about how we improve our electoral performance in the years ahead, because we don’t want to hand the country to Reform.”
Mr Jones said Mr Burnham is “a brilliant politician” and he would campaign for him in Makerfield, where the Greater Manchester mayor is hoping to secure a Commons seat.
Sir Keir, meanwhile, has defended his record, saying “our plan is working” and that he intends to “keep pushing forward”.
Scores of Labour MPs have called for the Prime Minister to stand down in the wake of the electoral hammering earlier this month.
Mr Burnham launched his Makerfield campaign on Friday, saying “a vote for me in this by-election is a vote to change Labour”.
Mr Streeting has set out policies including a wealth tax to bring back the New Labour-era Sure Start programme, and planning reforms to fund council homes to prevent children growing up in temporary accommodation.
Former home secretary Alan Johnson told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House that Labour MPs would be “daft” if they backed a leadership bid by Mr Burnham.
He said there is “absolutely no case for Keir Starmer to step down”, and suggested Mr Burnham would have to call a snap general election if he became prime minister.
Asked if Mr Burnham should launch a leadership challenge, the former Labour MP said: “Absolutely not. But if Labour MPs are daft enough to give their support to that, they deserve everything that’s coming to them.”
The Prime Minister, who has insisted he will not walk away from No 10 if Mr Burnham wins the June 18 by-election and triggers a leadership contest, has sought to highlight his own record.
“We now have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, net migration has fallen and NHS waiting lists are at their lowest level in three-and-a-half years,” he said.
“Our plan is working.”
In a sign that he does not intend to back down in the face of a potential challenge, he added: “This Government will keep pushing forward to deliver the change the country voted for.”
Office for National Statistics figures showed the economy grew by a higher-than-expected 0.6% over the first quarter, between January and March.
Figures this week showed UK net migration dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year, the lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The most recent NHS England data shows the waiting list stood at 7.11 million treatments in March, a fall of 110,073 treatments from February.
Despite Sir Keir’s claims of success, both Mr Burnham and Mr Streeting have criticised the Government’s inability to deliver the change voters demanded in the 2024 landslide which swept Labour into power.
