I’ll Campaign For Burnham, But There’s No Leadership Challenge Yet | Steve Reed MP

Añadido: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Do you think Kier Starmer would win a leadership contest in which Andy Burnham was a contender?

[00:00:06]>> I'm not even going to speculate about that because there is no challenge to Kier Starmmer.

[00:00:11]>> An unnamed cabinet minister has suggested to the Times that Sir Starmmer was considering his position overnight.

[00:00:17]The minister says he needs to be allowed to leave with dignity. Well, we can speak to the housing secretary, Steve Reid. Uh good morning to you.

[00:00:25]>> Good morning to you.

[00:00:26]>> Good morning.

[00:00:27]>> Uh good to speak to you. I'm just going to check because we have a problem already, I think, with a bit of an echo and feedback on the line. Um I Let's try and see if we can keep going. Anyway, Mr. Reed, so do bear with us on that. Uh you're not the cabinet minister who suggested that Sir Starmer is considering his position, are you?

[00:00:44]>> Well, I saw K Starmmer yesterday and that isn't true. No.

[00:00:49]>> Okay. You've spoken to him this morning?

[00:00:52]>> Well, it's just 5 7 so no.

[00:00:55]>> Okay. So you're not you're not sure if he spent the night considering his position in that case?

[00:01:00]>> Well, I saw him yesterday and that's not it's not true. No, I I'll tell you what.

[00:01:04]Uh the re the reason for that is we spent years under the Conservatives seeing them doom scrolling through leader after leader after leader. It flatlined the economy and it led to their worst election result for 200 years. The Labor Party will not copy the chaos that we saw under the Conservatives. I know a lot of colleagues are upset about the election results just over a week ago. I am too.

[00:01:26]We lost my council uh as well as part of those dreadful results that we that we got. But the answer to it is for all of us to come together and focus on delivering the change the British people sent us to parliament to deliver. And indeed just yesterday we got the economic growth figures. Our economy is now growing faster than any of the other economies the seven biggest economies in the planet on the planet the G7 economies. And because of that, next week the chancellor can stand up in the House of Commons and announce additional support for families and businesses during these difficult times that we're facing because of the war in the Middle East. That is what we focus on, the British people not copying the Tories revolving door of chaos.

[00:02:08]>> Okay. So, we hear you on that and indeed we've heard you make that argument over the last week. The reality though is that your colleagues aren't listening to you. You said there is no need for this to happen. You said in the Times last weekend, the argument you've just made, don't chop and change like the Tories.

[00:02:23]We're a week on and your colleagues aren't listening.

[00:02:28]Well, I again I don't agree with you.

[00:02:30]There are a set of rules in the Labour Party. If people want to challenge uh to become prime minister, they need to get nominations from 81 uh Labor MPs. Nobody has got nominations from 81.

[00:02:42]>> Mr. Reed, with all due respect, we can't we can't we can't go round and round like this. We know what's happening. We can see what's happening. Kier Starmer warned his party not to descend into political infighting. That is all we have witnessed in these last days since the local elections. He he there is no grip. There is no authority. This is a leadership challenge that's building.

[00:03:05]>> I'm not I'm not going to deny that it's been a really difficult week for all of us. But I would just advise colleagues right now, take a breath, have a think about what happened to the Tories when they did this. It remains the fact that there is no challenger. No one has gathered 81 nominations to mount a challenge against the prime minister. He remains our prime minister. My job, his job, everyone else's job is to get on and deliver the change we were sent here to deliver. Fastest growth in the G7.

[00:03:32]People said we couldn't do it. First quarter of this year, we've achieved it.

[00:03:36]Why would we want to throw that away just when that economic growth means that we can offer more support to families and businesses that are really struggling with the cost of living? We have to focus on the British people, not talk to ourselves.

[00:03:49]>> Yeah. Did you Did you read Wes Streeting's resignation letter out of interest?

[00:03:53]>> Um I saw some of it. I haven't I haven't I didn't read it in uh in detail, but it makes no difference to what I just said to be honest. We still need to focus on the British people and what Wes deliver.

[00:04:03]You know where's yesterday we saw the figures in the health service the biggest monthly drop in waiting lists for 18 years 18 years. That is precisely what we said we would do in the manifesto. That is precisely what we're now getting on and doing.

[00:04:18]>> Okay. Uh is the prime minister going to block Andy Burnham's attempt to stand in the Makerfield bi-election?

[00:04:24]>> Bi-election.

[00:04:24]>> Well, it wouldn't be the prime minister's decision. It would be for the National Executive Committee of the Labor Party. That's a decision-making body. But the prime minister has made clear his judgment is that Andy should be allowed to stand.

[00:04:35]>> Do you believe Andy Bernham will win this bi-election?

[00:04:40]>> Well, I hope if he is selected, I mean, we've got a few hurdles to go through, haven't we? First of all, it's for the Labour Party members in Makerfield to choose who their candidate is, I will then be backing whoever our candidate is. So will the rest of the Labour Party, and we will do our very best to make sure that we win that by election, whether the candidates Andy or anybody else who might put their name forward.

[00:04:59]Is it your preference that Andy Burnham should be the candidate candy?

[00:05:03]>> Well, it's not for me to choose. It's for the Labour Party members in Makerfield. I would be very happy if it was Andy Burnham and I would happily go up and campaign for him as I would for any other candidate selected by local Labour Party members.

[00:05:14]>> That's helpful to know and good to know.

[00:05:16]I I suppose in all of this because Nigel Farage says Reform UK will throw absolutely everything at the bi-election. Uh assuming Andy Bernham becomes the candidate, which let's be honest again seems like the likely outcome in all of this, doesn't it? What do you make of the fact that we're on the hook for millions of pounds for a bi-election in Makerfield and then for a bi-election to elect a new mayor of Greater Manchester as well? This is millions of pounds these elections are going to cost. Is that good value for money?

[00:05:42]>> Nothing in politics is is ever predictable. Nothing in politics is ever predictable. Sorry, I think we've got a bit of echo again. But, you know, but you know, I'm I'm sure those points will be raised in a bi-election. It will be for voters to take their uh decision about who they want to support in the circumstances, but I will be doing my best to back the Labour candidate, whoever that may be, both in the bi-election for Makerfield and if that's Andy, then in the bi-election for the mayor of Greater Manchester.

[00:06:07]>> Yeah. Is it good value? Good value.

[00:06:11]>> Well, that's for the people. We have a democracy and democracy does cost um some money. It's for the people in Greater Manchester if there's a bi-election there and in Makerfield where we know there will be a bi-election to make that judgment. Do you think Kier Starmer would win a leadership contest in which Andy Burnham was a contender?

[00:06:29]>> I'm not even going to speculate about that because there is no challenge to Kier Starmmer. What we have to do is get behind the prime minister and get on and deliver the things we were sent here to deliver. Just this week, as I said, the biggest monthly fall in waiting lists for 18 years. Our economy in the first quarter of this year growing the fastest of all the seven major economies on the planet. And because of that, more help being able to be provided to families and businesses by the chancellor next week. Why would we throw that away to indulge in the chaos of talking to ourselves when the British people expect us to get on with the job of looking after their interests? Can I can I put to you Steve Reed just something that struck me this morning as I was thinking about speaking to you which is a kind of almost incomprehensible position in this Makerfield bi-election that the Labor Party looks like it will find itself in a position whereby its own candidate will be running on a ticket of vote Labor to stop Starmer. That that is Burnham's message here. That that is bizarre, is it not? Is it not?

[00:07:33]>> I don't think Andy Burnham would agree with what you've just said and nor do I >> really. So, but but isn't the whole point of him coming to challenge in the bi-election his hope for victory there so that he can then challenge the prime minister? He is running in this bi-election to become an MP to challenge Sir Starmer's leadership. It is vote Labor to stop Star as a party is come together all parts of the Labor party and it's a very broad church. We need everybody to come together and work together on how we can best serve the British people.

[00:08:08]>> We again I'm so sorry to interrupt especially with the echo problems which I really appreciate your patience for but I'm I have to say we've heard you on that. We've heard the call to come together, but here is Andy Burnham trying to stand in a bi-election in order to try to unseat the prime minister. That is the reality that you're grappling with. It's vote Labor to stop Star is his campaign.

[00:08:28]I stood in a bi-election and I came to parliament. It's it's perfectly reasonable for people to want to do that. Andy's done an amazing job as the mayor of Greater Manchester. He has an awful lot to offer. So, if he is the candidate and if he comes to parliament, I will welcome him. Um, and I hope all colleagues from right across the party will want to come together and do what we can to focus on what the is concerning the British public. And it's not up, it's not about who's up and who's down in politics. It's not about aping the Conservatives and doom scrolling through leader after leader.

[00:08:58]It's delivering the manifesto we were elected to deliver. And I won't repeat those statistics again, but look at the economy. Look at uh NHS waiting lists.

[00:09:06]We're doing what we said we would do, and we need to keep going on with that.

[00:09:09]I suppose then just to further that that consideration, I want to put to you a post from the Alliance Party MP for uh Lagen Valley, Sorceria Eastwood, who said, "I'm one backbench MP. As a direct result of this leadership shambles, I've had at least one and potentially two ministerial meetings cancelled due to resignations. And now I'm having to pull out of a conference on cancer next week due to potential votes on Sir Star. And I'm just one backbench MP. Can you imagine the impact of this all across government? Do we have a functioning government at this moment? Moment.

[00:09:43]>> Of course we do. Um but what she's saying there is precisely why we need to avoid aping what the conservatives uh did when they were in power. The British people didn't want it, didn't like it, and they voted against them. As a result of that, yesterday my department launched in parliament the social housing bill that will reform uh the right to buy so that councils can get on and build more more council homes to help solve the housing crisis. So yes, we have a functioning government. It's just delivered the biggest fall in NHS waiting lists for 18 years. It's just delivered the fastest growth of all the seven biggest economies on the planet for the first quarter of this year. We focus on the British people and we get done the job that we were sent here to do. Steve Reid, thank you very much indeed for your time and indeed your perseverance with technical problems. We appreciate that. That is Steve Reid who is the housing secretary >> who's absolutely determined to stick to the line to say no one has, which is true. No one has challenged the prime minister. You need 81 MPs to do that.

[00:10:40]West Streeting hasn't done that. Andy Bernham can't do that. Any of the other potential leadership challenges, Angela Raina, Milipan maybe, we've heard nothing from them yet.