A senior minister in the UK government and ally of Keir Starmer has ruled himself out of the race for the Labour leadership.
In an interview with Sky News on Wednesday morning, Darren Jones said he would have had the backing of enough MPs to take on Andy Burnham, but suggested a contest would not give the eventual winner enough time to prepare a budget for the autumn.
Jones’s decision to rule himself out of the Labour leadership contest removes another obstacle on Burnham’s route to Number 10, with few other MPs being discussed as potential challengers.
Former defence minister Al Carns, who resigned earlier this month in a row over defence spending, remains a possible contender, telling the BBC on Tuesday he was “pretty serious” about launching a bid but wanted to see what policies Burnham was going to champion.
If no other candidate secures the 81 nominations necessary to get on to the ballot for the Labour leadership, Burnham is expected to enter Downing Street by July 18th, giving Britain its fifth prime minister in four years.
[ Can Andy Burnham be a better prime minister than Keir Starmer?Opens in new window ]
Jones said he had had a “reassuring” conversation with Burnham about the Makerfield MP’s economic policy before making his decision.
He said Burnham should set out more details for the “upwards of 100 MPs” who were concerned about his plans or were “feeling pretty depressed” by Keir Starmer’s resignation.
Asked about the possibility of Burnham increasing borrowing to fund his spending priorities, Jones said there was “room to borrow a little bit more” within the existing fiscal rules.
But he stressed that there were other routes to achieve the former mayor’s objectives “without broad brush borrowing and spending”.
Jones also appeared to warn Burnham against making Ed Miliband the next chancellor, declining to give his support to the current energy secretary when setting out a series of “tests” to determine the next occupant of Number 11 Downing Street.
He said the next chancellor should not try to “control” the prime minister, and also “reassure” the markets, trade unions, Labour MPs and the public.
Asked whether Miliband “falls short” of his tests, Jones said: “I will let you mark those tests, but those are the tests I think need to be met.”
He also denied he had been offered a job in Burnham’s future cabinet.
The current UK prime minister has already authorised “access talks” between leadership contenders and the civil service, meaning Burnham and his team can receive government briefings once he demonstrates he has the support of 81 Labour MPs.
Talks are also continuing about who might serve in a Burnham cabinet, and who might advise the former Greater Manchester mayor behind the scenes.
Senior Labour figures – including former transport secretary Louise Haigh, energy secretary Ed Miliband, home secretary Shabana Mahmood, and former health secretary Wes Streeting – have all been tipped for top jobs in a government led by Burnham.
James Purnell, a former Labour cabinet minister who served alongside Burnham in the Blair government, is meanwhile reportedly being sized up as a chief of staff, the Times said.
Elsewhere, cross-bench peer Jim O’Neill – who has been advising Burnham – told the Guardian he wanted to see a new, independent body set up so that extra money could be spent on infrastructure while remaining within Labour’s fiscal rules.
The body could follow the model of the Office for Budget Responsibility, he said, allowing for billions more to be spent on boosting big transport and public works projects. – PA
