Andy Burnham agrees to appear at rally angering Keir Starmer's allies

2022-08-28

Andy Burnham courts hard left and infuriates Keir Starmer’s allies by agreeing to appear at rally this week

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s ally said of Andy Burnham ‘enough is enough’
Manchester mayor has made no secret of ambition to be a future Labour leader
He will join Mick Lynch, head of the RMT Union, at an Enough is Enough meeting
Group set up in response to cost-of-living crisis is holding meeting on Tuesday

Labour veteran Andy Burnham has infuriated Sir Keir Starmer’s allies by agreeing to appear at a ‘hard left’ rally this week.

The Greater Manchester mayor will join Mick Lynch, head of the RMT Union, at a meeting this Tuesday organised by Enough Is Enough, a campaign set up in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis.

But only last week, the Mail on Sunday revealed how allies of Labour leader Sir Keir feared the new movement could prove a new rallying point for the Hard Left and derail Labour’s bid to return to power.

Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham (pictured), has infuriated Sir Keir Starmer’s allies by agreeing to appear at a ‘hard left’ rally this week

Mr Burnham will join Mick Lynch (pictured), head of the RMT Union, at a meeting this Tuesday organised by Enough Is Enough, a campaign set up in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis

And last night, one leading member of Sir Keir’s frontbench team said: ‘Someone should tell Andy Burnham enough is enough.

‘This is the man who presented himself as more Blairite than Blair when he was in government and then cosy-ed up to Corbyn in opposition.

‘Soon enough he’ll notice that the wind has changed and he’ll change his tune.’

A spokesman for Mr Burnham said: ‘The Labour Party should be locked on to the cost-of-living crisis.

‘The mayor is attending the Enough is Enough! event to stand up for people in Greater Manchester.

‘That is more important than briefing against colleagues.’

Sources close to the mayor – who has made no secret of his ambitions to be a future Labour leader – also joked that the Enough is Enough event was taking place in Manchester Cathedral – a ‘pretty decent’ venue.

They added: ‘Why is the party not supporting something like this?

‘What the hell is the party doing?’

A Labour spokeswoman said last night that the party had a ‘costed, fully-funded plan to freeze energy prices and get money quickly back into people’s pockets’.

Allies of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) feared Enough is Enough could prove a new rallying point for the Hard Left and derail Labour’s bid to return to power

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