Labour MP Clive Lewis has said he would be willing to give up his seat so that Andy Burnham could stand and eventually oust Keir Starmer.
Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Live after Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Lewis spoke of his dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer and the current Labour government.
The Norwich South MP said Labour needed a new leader, and was asked if Burnham would be keen to challenge Starmer.
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Lewis said this was a question for Burnham before being asked if he would give up his East Anglian seat to give the Manchester Mayor a route into parliament.
“It’s a question I’ve asked myself,” Lewis responded. “But if I’m going to sit here and say ‘country before party, party before person or ambition’ then yes, I have to say yes.”
When asked again if he would give up his seat for Andy Burnham, Lewis doubled down, saying: “I would, yeah.”
However, Lewis seems to have backtracked on the suggestion somewhat, telling the Sun on Sunday’s Kate Ferguson that he has “no plans to stand down.”
He added: “A hypothetical question was put to me, and my answer was consistent with what I’ve been saying, that I am serious about putting country before party.”
Earlier this year, there were reports that Burnham was eyeing up a bid at the Labour leadership. Burnham himself added fuel to the fire when he claimed Labour MPs were privately urging him to challenge Starmer.
Burnham, who has been mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, is a popular figure both among Labour MPs and the public.
More recently, there has been much speculation about Starmer’s position as leader and prime minister.
Last week, Number 10 sources briefed against health secretary Wes Streeting, saying Starmer was ready to fight any challenge to his leadership.
And this week, the Times reported that the soft-left of Labour were rallying ahead of a potential leadership contest, and reportedly had the numbers to support a candidate to challenge Starmer.